The government released its Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules on 9 September 2019. If we recall Philip Hammond originally announced some of the changes in Spring 2019, including the below. A summary of the most significant changes, which particularly affect HEIs and research organisations, are as follows:
- PhD level occupations will be exempt from the Tier 2 (general) cap. The news is welcomed by many employers who no longer have to go through the lengthy process of issuing a restricted certificate of sponsorship.
- For Tier 2 PhD level migrants who have to undertake research overseas during the course of their employment, their absences will no longer be counted towards the 180-days absences limit when applying for settlement, once they have completed 5 years continuous residence in the UK. Although sponsors will be required to specify details of any anticipated absences during the course of employment in the form of a sponsor letter.
The above changes have been implemented with the intention to boost research and development in the UK. Some may state that by taking this step the government is trying to mitigate the effect Brexit will have on the UK economy. Is this enough to bridge that skills gap which will emerge following Brexit?