'UK's new immigration system to recruit best talents'

By Yunus Turk

ISTANBUL (AA) - The UK's new points-based immigration system will give an opportunity to businesses to recruit the brightest and best talents from around the world to come to and work in the country, the British minister for future borders and immigration told Anadolu Agency Monday.

"We expect to work on a truly global basis with people judged by what they have to offer, not by fundamentally where their passports come from, as has been the case during our time in the EU," Kevin Foster said.

He underlined that the system, to be effective from Jan. 1, 2021, will provide employees with an access to the brightest and the best pool of global talents to make British business and economy stronger and more effective.

The UK, which left the EU as of January 2020, will end free movement by Jan. 31, 2021. The country introduced a points-based immigration system for grading applicants' credentials -- such as having a job offer by an approved sponsor accounting for 20 points, a PhD degree in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics relevant to the job offer 20 points, and speaking English at the required level bringing 10 points.

"A total of 70 points is required to be eligible to apply," according to the official website.

The system ensures employers are initially focusing on recruitment and training of domestic workers. The system also ensures that employees’ first priority is to offer good terms and conditions for working in the UK, rather than viewing immigration as an alternative to doing so.

It also gives an opportunity to easily and more flexibly fill key skill gaps and certain vacancies by recruiting people from across the globe, he added.

In addition, it provides a route to recruiting skills and talents to ensure that businesses can have that level of international knowledge which is necessary to compete in a global economy, he stressed.

With this system, the UK expects a specific type of migration instead of migration on free movement from the European Economic Area (EEA).

"What we instead expect to see is that we are much more balanced across the globe because we are going to be judging people purely by how they meet the criteria," he noted.

"We think that that's a very strong message as well at the current time, that you know, we're open to the globe for the brightest and the best to come and live out their aspirations here in the UK," he added.

- Student visa conditions eased

Foster noted that the new system also eased student visa conditions. There is a time limit that could be quite tight for those looking to do PhD studies, he said. "So, we have removed the time limits on postgraduate level studies and students can have a student visa for as long as they need at postgraduate level," he stressed.

Students will also have a chance for staying in the UK or receiving the UK citizenship after their graduation, if they set up their own business or be offered a qualified job, he expressed.

"So, the message I'd send to students from Turkey thinking about where to do their degree is that the UK is the place you can live out your aspiration," he noted.

Expressing that the new system also offers opportunities for Turkish people, he stressed "We welcome many people from Turkey to set up a business."

* Writing by Gokhan Ergocun.