Proposals set out this week for the UK’s post-Brexit immigration system would continue to place “restrictions” on schools’ ability to recruit staff, headteachers have warned.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) welcomed a recommendation that the annual cap on skilled workers should be abolished, but warned that the retention of a £30,000 salary threshold would impede recruitment.
The heads’ union has been backing the Tes #LetThemTeach campaign, which is calling for a change in immigration rules to stop non-EU international teachers from being turned away from Britain.
But the ASCL believes the recommendations for Britain’s post-Brexit immigration system, published by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on Wednesday, would not improve the situation for schools.
The MAC - an independent body that advises the government on immigration - recommended the abolition of the cap on tier 2 skilled-worker visas, which are currently limited to 20,700 per year.
The committee also said EU workers should ideally not be given preference over non-EU migrants.
While the abolition of the skilled-worker cap could make it easier for schools to recruit foreign teachers, the ASCL warned that the MAC recommendation - that the current £30,000 salary threshold should be retained - would continue to pose a problem.
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the ASCL, told Tes: “We are concerned that Brexit will make it more difficult for schools to recruit teachers from overseas and we are not reassured by the recommendations of the MAC report.
“While we welcome its recommendation that the current cap on visa numbers for skilled workers should be abolished, we are disappointed that it thinks the salary threshold of £30,000 should be retained.
“This is a significant restriction on schools given that many teacher salaries are less than £30,000, and it will add to the pressure on hard-pressed budgets if schools have to fill recruitment gaps with staff on higher salaries.
“At a time when we have a national shortage of teachers, the last thing that we need is more obstacles to recruitment.”
It is not yet clear whether the government would accept the MAC’s recommendations, and it could be several years before any new immigration system came into force.
The Tes Let Them Teach campaign is calling for the whole teaching profession to be added to the Home Office’s “shortage occupation list”, which gives greater priority to visas each month under the current capped system.
The MAC is currently reviewing the composition of the shortage-occupation list, and is due to report its findings in the spring.
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