Great Britain hitting the cap for three months in a row doesn’t sound good because it is losing some potentially highly skilled non-European Union skilled immigrants. Immigration experts didn’t think of it as much of a problem when the cap was hit in December and January, but the same happening for the third time in February has raised concerned that it might become a long-term process. Home Office issues two third of the tier 2 visa to National Health Service for hiring medical and related staff. And because of the shortage of tier 2 visa, the United Kingdom has already rejected will be rejecting more doctors, healthcare professionals, scientists, and software developers. The report also shows a declining trend in European nationals entering the country and more and more going back to their own country. This phenomenon is called as Brexodus. At the same time, Home Office has raised demands from UK employers that hire skilled foreign workers. Home Office has already sent emails to at least a thousand companies that hire skilled immigrants that they don’t meet the minimum requirements for hiring them. In 2011, Theresa May, who was the home secretary at that time, set a yearly limit of 20,700 tier 2 visas with only a fixed number given out every month. Until 2017, the limit was only reached once in December 2017. To be eligible for a tier 2 visa, a recent graduate needs a yearly salary of £20,800 while a skilled immigrant needs to earn at least £30,000.

Increasing the minimum requirements

In December 2017, the UK government announced that to get a tier 2 visa, a skilled immigrant needs to earn at least £46,000 a year. Those have a Ph.D. or having a job on the official shortage occupation lists are eligible even if they don’t meet the salary criteria. UK government Increasing the minimum requirements.