Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the terms of reference for the review of Tier 2 visas; and when they expect to announce any changes to the Tier 2 visa policy.

On Friday 15 June, the Government announced changes to the allocation of places within the Tier 2 (General) cap of 20,700. The change – which will be implemented through amended Immigration Rules coming into effect on 6 July – will ensure that all doctors and all nurses needed in the UK will be able to be recruited to work here without being counted against the cap. This is intended to be a temporary change which recognises the importance of alleviating pressure on the NHS and which creates extra space within the cap for other sectors of the economy.

In parallel to this change, we have also commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the full composition of the Shortage Occupation List.