Prime
Tough rules for Ugandans seeking work, study in UK
According to the new rules that take effect next year, for anyone not in the health and care sector to be granted a work visa, they must have a job paying £38,700, up from £26,200.
What you need to know:
- An official at the Uganda High Commission in London says the new immigration rules banning overseas workers and students from taking their families will affect Ugandans in the UK.
Ugandans seeking to work or study in the United Kingdom will lose the privilege of travelling with their families according to new immigration rules issued by the Home Office.
According to the new rules, only students pursuing a postgraduate research programme will be allowed to travel with their families. Workers in health and care, who are said to be the majority of the migrant labour workforce, will not be permitted to take their families.
READ: Ugandans to pay more for UK visa
According to the new rules that take effect next year, for anyone not in the health and care sector to be granted a work visa, they must have a job paying £38,700, up from £26,200.
“Those coming on the health and care visa route will be exempted from the increase to the salary threshold for skilled worker visas, so we can continue to bring the healthcare workers that our care sector and NHS need, and we will exempt those on national pay scales, for example teachers,” the statement reads in part.
It adds: “Earlier this year, the government announced a package of measures to cut the number of student visas being issued. This included removing the right for international students to bring dependents unless they are on postgraduate research courses and removing the ability for international students to switch onto work routes before their studies are completed.”
What government says
An official at the Uganda High Commission in London says the new immigration rules banning overseas workers and students from taking their families will affect Ugandans in the UK.
We could not independently verify the total number of Ugandans studying and working in the UK by press time.
Sources at the High Commission in London revealed they had not yet received official communication, adding that the control of entry and exit is a sovereign right any country enjoys.
The official said: “Here immigration is a very big issue, it was one of the factors behind Brexit [Britain leaving the European Union]. Any country governs the entry and exit. It is their right to do so.”
Background
The changes announced on December 4 apply to all countries and are aimed at cutting down the number of immigrants, prioritise domestic labor and shield resources from a bulging immigrant population.
In July, the UK announced plans to increase its visa fees to all persons entering its territories.
