UK Immigration
Immigration and more specifically economic migration have become a phenomenon of globalisation. Some workers now work in the 'global village'. These are contract workers and other professionals. Some multi-national employers expect that new hires can demonstrate some time living a different country and culture before they will make an offer of employment.
A skilled person can now use the Internet to market their skills anywhere in the world. Likewise, employers can search and identify the candidates they need. This will change candidate search and selection, and how commerce and industry will operate this century.
However, with the ongoing threat of terrorism, governments worldwide will continue to manage immigration policies to ensure they keep a tight grip on their national security.
In the run-up to the 2005 election, the UK government released its paper Making Migration Work for Britain. The coined term 'managed migration' reflected the government approach. The paper outlined their five-year strategy. This gives an idea on their thinking and the future of immigration policy for the UK.
Foreign immigration to Britain was just under 500,000 in 2004. As UK employers find it more difficult to fill job vacancies, it is not surprising that employers are looking abroad to find candidates. Current figures show that more than eight in ten UK employers now recruit staff from overseas. However, bringing staff into the UK can be complicated.
The five-year strategy is the next stage of the government's comprehensive reform of the immigration and asylum policies and procedures. The purpose of the reforms is to admit people selectively in order to ensure maximum economic benefits from migration to the UK. Migration makes a substantial contribution to economic growth; helps fill gaps in the labour market, which includes key public services such as education and health, and increases investment, innovation and fosters new business in the UK.
