There is a balancing act here between maintaining the general principles of the new Skilled Worker route and not being completely inflexible in the face of challenges that may have substantial consequences for the economy – some of which are the result of the pandemic. In the last few months, the Government have agreed to some temporary visas for various occupations such as HGV drivers and poultry workers. We would expect the share of these new occupations to gradually rise over time as firms become more familiar with the new system. Only a small share of visas have been issued to the occupations newly eligible (the RQF 3-5 jobs), though the care sector are actively using the route for senior care workers. Numbers using the route have now recovered to the levels seen pre-pandemic, with the health sector remaining a key user of the route. The Home Office are to be congratulated on this achievement.
On the operational side, we have heard from a number of stakeholders that the new Skilled Worker route has been launched smoothly and that the streamlining and digitisation of the route are working well. This has produced operational challenges as well as making it difficult to isolate the effect of the immigration changes from the effects of the pandemic. The new immigration system that began in 2021 coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. It also suggests that the report contain comment on, and recommendations relating to, all aspects of the immigration system. The Framework Document that covers our governance requires us to produce an annual report to inform Parliament and the public of the work we have done and our use of resources.
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