Home Affairs Committee initiates review of work‑based immigration policy

The Home Affairs Committee has announced a new inquiry into work‑based immigration, building on the findings of the Your Voice on Immigration programme. That programme ran a series of citizen‑assembly style events across the country, involving nearly one hundred participants who debated the trade‑offs of hiring from abroad versus training domestically. The participants produced a set of thirteen guiding principles to inform future policy.

The principles highlight two key priorities. First, they stress that training and recruiting UK workers should be prioritised before turning to migrant labour. Second, they affirm that migrants who come to the UK for work should be treated with dignity, respect and supported in their integration.

The inquiry will examine the UK’s work migration strategy against these principles. It will assess whether the Government’s current approach to the Skilled Worker visa is effective in reducing reliance on overseas recruitment and in improving the upskilling of the domestic workforce. It will also explore how decisions are made about which occupations are eligible for work visas.

Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, Dame Karen Bradley, said: “Work immigration can play an important role in ensuring the labour force has the right skills and sectors with shortages can plug the gaps. But has it become an easy option when more could be done to train UK workers in the skills wanted by employers? That is one of the key concerns raised in Your Voice on Immigration and will be one of the central questions of this inquiry.”