New paper!
The UK plans to restrict visa access for ‘mid-skill’ occupations- except for those on the Temporary Shortage List of exemptions.
We ask: What effects would loss of visa access have for labour supply? Which occupations should be on that list?
My understanding is that somebody who has acquired British citizenship *before* they apply for a NINo would be recorded as a UK national.
People who register for a NINo as a non-UK national are still recorded as non-UK nationals even if they later get UK citz.
Indian nationals continue to hold the largest number of employments, while the number of jobs held by Nigerians has surpassed the number held by Poles.
You can find the full release from HMRC here: www.gov.uk/government/s...
New HMRC data show that the number of employee jobs held by non-EU nationals rose by 6% over 2025, while EU jobs fell by 3%.
This will be driven primarily by net migration, but it could also reflect improved employment rates for earlier non-EU arrivals, such as Ukrainians.
Completely with you, Mark. No way was it a penalty...
... but oh well. I slept just fine on Saturday
Finally we can say what we REALLY think about the Artemis astronauts.
As you've alluded to, I think it's better to finish 5-7th, because they get momentum during the quarters that 2nd/3rd don't.
As well as the classic 'team [5th] didn't just miss out on automatics so didn't need a gear shift for the playoffs, unlike team [2nd]'
The 6% who said they wouldn't go because there's nothing to do once there need to be studied
There would be a short-term increase before visas start expiring, although that could be addressed by an initial cap for the first 2/3 years.
However, the big challenge, evidently, is getting the EU to agree to any of these requests.
From a net migration perspective, the length of the scheme is almost as important as any cap or 'emergency brake'.
A shorter duration reduces the ability for EU citizens to switch onto other visas, rather than emigrating when the YM visa expires
Missed opportunity – could've wrapped that up in the first half. Equally I'm not sure how we clung on at the end
Thank goodness Middlesbrough didn't beat Blackburn. #itfc
Oh well...
Great first half from #itfc. Let's get the second, for the sake of my blood pressure
The language threshold for settlement is set to rise from lower-intermediate (B1) to upper-intermediate (B2) in March 2027. So far, the increase has been confirmed for these routes...
On Monday, the government said it hadn't decided whether to apply the minimum English language requirement to acquire settlement to Hong Kong BNOs (and some other groups).
“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video
The government has announced that migrants will have to pass an English language test at the B2 level to obtain settlement, up from the current B1 level.
This change will come into force in March 2027.
I mean, that's just not a penalty, is it? We're barely touching him
Will a referee ever make a correct decision in an #itfc ever again?
We don't get a stonewall penalty on Saturday, but Stoke get a penalty tonight because we tapped their attacker's arm
Terrible officiating
These figures illustrate a point @jtmigratory.bsky.social made recently: millions of EU citizens have been granted settlement "without the slightest murmur of political or public disapproval", whereas settlement for the mostly non-EU citizens who've arrived post-Brexit is a major issue.
How many UK migrants get settlement, also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain?
We answer that question, and more, in our updated settlement briefing.
Can the government boost domestic training by restricting migration?
In a new briefing, @msumption.bsky.social and I find that migrants on work visas are a small part of a much wider picture. Here's what you need to know, in three posts.
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...
I'd be so bitter if I was Clarke or Philogene at how people who had been giving me flak for a year suddenly decided they loved me and I couldn't make any snarky remarks about it
I really hope McAteer comes good to prove all of those 'fans' wrong
Skills gaps are only one reason why employers hire migrant workers. In fact, many report hiring migrants through traditional recruitment processes.
This may be one reason why the Migration Advisory Committee found no link between skill shortages and work visa grants.
Policy debates often focus on who is eligible for work visas, but main applicants on work visas make up only a small share of overall migration.
You can see what that means in this chart, which compares Skilled Worker visa grants with changes in the size of the migrant workforce.
The government has tightened work visa rules for middle-skill jobs.
Now, middle-skill jobs are eligible for work visas only if they are crucial to the industrial strategy, and employers in those sectors will need to create workforce plans to develop domestic skills.
Can the government boost domestic training by restricting migration?
In a new briefing, @msumption.bsky.social and I find that migrants on work visas are a small part of a much wider picture. Here's what you need to know, in three posts.
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...
Completely agree with this on some of vitriol being sent to the Ipswich players from their own 'fans'
A few seem to have forgotten how bad things were for #itfc as recently as 2021. The club is in a much better place now, even if George Hirst misses a few sitters
