In the short three month period between December 2017 and March 2018, a huge 6,080 applications for Tier 2 work visas were made by skilled overseas workers to fill the gap in STEM job roles within science, technology, engineering and maths. Despite this, more than half of these applications, over 3,000, were rejected by UK immigration authorities.

One of the reasons for this was because of the high costs to a business associated with employing people from outside of the UK. The average cost of employing a skilled worker from overseas to a business that holds a Tier 2 sponsorship license reached a high of £60,000 in June 2018. Therefore, 2018 has seen a serious shortage in the amount of Tier 2 visas being granted to people wishing to apply to work in STEM job roles from outside the UK because businesses simply can’t afford to recruit from overseas.

However, the newly appointed Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, announced that from July 2018, doctors and nurses will no longer be included in the certificate of sponsorship quota, meaning that the salary rates of gaining a certificate of sponsorship for business will be reduced and therefore, the costs associated with hiring a person from overseas will be cheaper, meaning that Tier 2 visas should be much more accessible to migrants who wish to fill job roles, which is positive news for the STEM industry.

Tech skills shortage still remains at a record high

Before the reform, despite the UK being in desperate need for skilled STEM professionals, particularly those who are able to teach STEM subjects, 3,500 skilled people were denied a Tier 2 visa and entry into Britain between December 2017 and March 2018 alone because of government caps. Of the 3,500 refusals, over 1,200 workers looking to fill IT and … Continue reading >>>