ReleaseWire Connect

A recent survey suggests that a significant issue facing British businesses is that the candidates they have available struggle to fulfil all the requirements of skilled job roles. One way of increasing the variety and possible suitability of candidates in recent years, however, has been through immigration: a key example that it can be a process and force for good. The Easyjet survey in question revealed that for companies with over 20 employees, one of the biggest issues faced is in terms of employee recruitment and retention – and therefore immigration has played an important role in allowing for greater possible suitability.

A number of public individuals have raised the concern regarding changes to the Tier 2 visa scheme changes, which were implemented on 29th October 2015. The Tier 2 VISA scheme is focused on the entrance of skilled workers – which can include medical professionals, technicians and teachers. The changes have included additional financial considerations which mean that many skilled workers from overseas have been potentially dissuaded from bringing their services to Britain. Critics argue that this has come at a great loss (financial and in terms of services) to the public sector and is not constructive.

A recent report released through Imperial College London emphasizes the significant contribution overseas students make to Britain and the economy. This has led to rising calls for overseas students to be more positively received and championed for their contribution to London's aspiring status of the education capital of the world. According to the report, London attracts 100,000 international students annually; and they also support 37,000 jobs – often in highly skilled roles. This emphasises, again, the potential positives brought by overseas students.

Amidst figures which suggest that successful citizenship applications have been declining, often due to financial pressures, there is set to be encouraged re-evaluation of the citizenship process. According to data released by Oxford University, in 2014 citizenship was awarded to slightly fewer than 126,000 foreign nationals, which reflects a fall of about 40% year-on-year.

Leading UK immigration law firm, Garth Coates Solicitors, have recently commented on Jamie Oliver's statement, in which he says his businesses greatly benefit from the skilled immigrants who contribute to an impressive UK workforce.

Immigration solicitors, Garth Coates Solicitors, have recently commented on a report which revealed how immigration is essential for keeping the UK technology industry thriving.

A new bill being proposed in Parliament seeks to enforce stringent guidelines on landlords regarding illegal immigration. A new bill could see repeat offenders face jail for up to 5 years if they do not evict failed asylum seekers. The newly proposed legislation comes following the recent media attention regarding migrants in Europe. And with immigration being a hot topic in the recent general election, it appears that the new suggestion may polarise opinion. Many will welcome the strict rules as an effective control on immigration whilst others will be conscious of the guilt in contributing to an already precarious situation for vulnerable individuals.

New biometric robots could be the future of airport immigration, scanning passports and passenger's boarding passes as well as recording their face and iris. The invention was revealed at the Paris Air Show and is an innovation which is already making its way into some airports. There are also plans to incorporate 300 behavioral warning signals into some forms of the robot, although it is unclear how these will function in practice.

Recent official data analysed by Oxford University has shown that the number of foreigners obtaining British Citizenship is at its lowest level since 2002, a significant fall. Just below 126,000 foreign nationals were awarded citizenship in 2012, signifying a fall of 40% year on year. This means that fewer foreign nationals have been entitled to a foreign passport.

Recent figures speculated by the home office highlight a significant rise in immigration levels over the course of 2014 when compared to 2013. For example, it was approximated that 641, 0000 immigrants entered the UK in 2014, believed to be the highest ever annual figure. This has led to much comment and reflection from specialists within Immigration law, including Garth Coates.