Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, under the policy whereby asylum seekers whose claims have been outstanding for more than 12 months through no fault of their own can request permission to work in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List published by the Home Office, how many such requests have been (1) made, and (2) granted, since the policy was introduced; and how many asylum seekers have taken up employment under that policy.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers granted permission to work are restricted by the Home Office to apply for jobs on the Immigration Salary List which replaced the Shortage Occupation List on 4 April 2024. The list itself is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, who will continue to review those occupations.
Asylum seekers are provided with accommodation and support to meet their essential living needs if they would otherwise be destitute whilst their claim is considered.
We also encourage asylum seekers to undertake volunteering activities, so long as it does not amount to unpaid work. Volunteering provides a valuable contribution to their local community and may help them to integrate into society if they ultimately qualify for protection.
The Home Office are unable to report how many asylum seekers have applied for and been accepted for permission to work as this information is not held in a reportable format or forms part of published data.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to alter the current arrangements for asylum seekers whose claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months through no fault of their own to be able to request permission to work in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List published by the Home Office.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Asylum seekers granted permission to work are restricted by the Home Office to apply for jobs on the Immigration Salary List which replaced the Shortage Occupation List on 4 April 2024. The list itself is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, who will continue to review those occupations.
Asylum seekers are provided with accommodation and support to meet their essential living needs if they would otherwise be destitute whilst their claim is considered.
We also encourage asylum seekers to undertake volunteering activities, so long as it does not amount to unpaid work. Volunteering provides a valuable contribution to their local community and may help them to integrate into society if they ultimately qualify for protection.
The Home Office are unable to report how many asylum seekers have applied for and been accepted for permission to work as this information is not held in a reportable format or forms part of published data.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role the Migration Advisory Committee and the proposed body “Skills England” will play in facilitating the recruitment of overseas workers to train workers and job seekers in the UK in occupations with skills shortages.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 22 July, the Government announced plans to create Skills England and to develop a more joined up approach which looks at training of the domestic labour market alongside international recruitment. Further detail about how the Migration Advisory Committee will interact with Skills England, and training in the labour market will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they intend to take to increase the pipeline of skilled workers in the domestic workforce in occupations in the immigration salary list for the Skilled Worker visa.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 22 July, the Government announced plans to create Skills England and to develop a more joined up approach which looks at training of the domestic labour market alongside international recruitment. Further detail about how the Migration Advisory Committee will interact with Skills England, and training in the labour market will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 21 December 2022 (HL4133), when they expect the Migration Advisory Committee to restart their review of the Shortage Occupation List; and when they expect the Committee to report.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
The Government is considering its position on the topic of legal migration following the Office for National Statistics’ November publication of net migration estimates and in line with its manifesto commitments to bring overall numbers down. We will be setting out information on the Shortage Occupation List review shortly.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 21 December 2022 (HL4133), what changes they are considering to the workplan of the Migration Advisory Committee; and when they expect to publish changes to the workplan.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
The Government is considering its position on the topic of legal migration following the Office for National Statistics’ November publication of net migration estimates and in line with its manifesto commitments to bring overall numbers down. We will be setting out information on the Shortage Occupation List review shortly.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Murray of Blidworth on 21 December (HL4133), what are the “other migration issues” to which he referred.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
The Government is considering its position on the topic of legal migration following the Office for National Statistics’ November publication of net migration estimates and in line with its manifesto commitments to bring overall numbers down. We will be setting out information on the Shortage Occupation List review shortly.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Migration Advisory Committee will report its recommendations to change the shortage occupation list (SAL).
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth - Shadow Minister (Home Office)
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to review the Shortage Occupation List, however the review is currently paused.
The Home Office is working closely with the Migration Advisory Committee in considering their workplan, in light of other migration issues.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to change immigration rules to allow more HGV drivers to be recruited from overseas.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
In response to the current exceptional circumstances facing businesses at this time, we have made available 5,000 visas for HGV drivers to enter the UK on a short-term basis to support the fuel and food supply sector. In line with other routes, eligibility for the visa is not based on whether an applicant is an EU national.
This is a temporary measure leading into Christmas to mitigate some of the acute issues experienced at this particular time and until the range of other measures, including ramping up testing capacity and the creation of new Skills Bootcamps for HGV drivers, bite.
Asked by: Lord Allen of Kensington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to introduce the Tier 3 visa for unskilled migrants in order to meet labour shortages.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The precise way in which the Government will control migration to the UK following exit from the EU is yet to be determined.
In July 2017, the Government commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on the economic and social impacts of the UK’s exit from the European Union and also on how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy. The MAC’s final report is due later this month.
We will build a comprehensive picture of the needs and interests of all parts of the UK, taking account of the evidence from the MAC, and look to develop a system which works for all.