Immigration Update for Employers
What do changes to visa restrictions and reforms mean for UK employers?
Time: 11:00 - 11:30 | FREE
When: Thursday, 31st October '24
Recent figures show that the number of overseas workers and students applying for UK visas has fallen by about a third compared to the same period in 2023. The healthcare sector, in particular, is feeling the pinch. While the government is encouraging training and domestic education, the situation may take up to five years to improve. Meanwhile, low pay and immigration restrictions are causing a recruitment crisis in some industries.
Employers can consider offering competitive wages and investing in training to retain staff, but it is clear that the immigration system needs to become more balanced.
“We should stop playing politics around crucial staffing needs and start making the most of both domestic and overseas talent,” says Shazia Ejaz, Director of Campaigns and Research at the REC.
So how do you recruit overseas talent when the UK appears a little less attractive to those potential staff?
Join us to explore the challenges and potential solutions. We’ve been doing this for almost thirty years, so we know the people who can answer your questions on visas, what’s going to happen under Labour, what your alternatives are and what you can learn from other organisations. There’ll be a chance to put your problems directly to our experts on the day.
We are accepting questions before and during the broadcast. Please send your questions to elizabeth.smith@bfi.co.uk.
Which functions will benefit from attending
- HR, Security, Recruitment, Legal & Compliance, Directors & Managers responsible for Immigration & Right to Work Checks, Vetting & Screening, Administration & Operations
Hear from
Schedule
Introduction and welcome
Elizabeth Smith
Director of Research , Business Forums International Ltd. (BFI)
Elizabeth is director of research and a founding co-director at Business Forums International. She is responsible for all programme content and writing, and researches current areas of interest for senior HR professionals in large organisations. BFI is the UK’s leading HR risk specialist conference and training provider, delivering key and timely information to over 3,000 delegates a year both through public and in-house training courses. Before founding BFI in 1996, Elizabeth specialised in researching corporate financial programmes in Asia and the Middle East, based in Dubai. She also worked in advertising and publishing in the Middle East and London. Elizabeth was educated in the West Indies, Saudi Arabia and Belgium before reading Modern Languages at Durham University. She is currently developing an online training course for line managers to raise awareness of menopause symptoms and ways that employers can work to make their workplaces more inclusive.
Legal update: what changes can we expect to the UK visa system and how best do employers plan for staffing challenges?
CASE STUDY: health sector
Hear some potential solutions for employers:
- Visa repayment policies
- The role of homegrown talent
- Alternative solutions and recruitment pipelines
- The role of AI