United Kingdom: Nearly 5,000 Businesses Have Registered to Sponsor Migrants
Under the United Kingdom’s new Employer Sponsorship system (in place since November 27, 2008), employers must register for a license in order to employ non-European Economic Area migrants. The UK Border Agency announced that 4,875 employers in the UK have registered as sponsors as of January 5, 2009.
According to the Border Agency, the new system:
- ensures only those skilled migrant workers who are needed can enter the UK;
- introduces tough criteria requiring employers to prove a resident worker doesn't want the job before offering it to a foreign worker; and
- is flexible, meaning that the bar can be raised or lowered according to the needs of the labor market and the country as a whole.
