<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>Coffeeshop Chit Chat - UK & Oz all cutting FTs now. SG leh?</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">kojakbt22 <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">Nov-12 8:15 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 4) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>2477.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Britain cuts skilled-worker visas
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Immigration rules tightened to reduce inflows; govt also trimming list of jobs that are short of manpower
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->LONDON: Britain is slashing by a fifth the number of visas for skilled workers as the country enters a recession and unemployment soars.
The Home Office said it would issue 800,000 work permits under a section of its new Australian-style visa system, which begins on Nov 27 for skilled workers.
There were one million spots open under the old system, which is being phased out to clamp down on migrant flows.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour government is under pressure to crack down on immigration after record inflows since 2004.
Tuesday's decision came on the eve of a report issued yesterday which showed that in the three months to September, the number of people without work jumped by 140,000 to 1.82million, the highest level in 11 years.
As Immigration Minister Phil Woolas pointed out ahead of the release of the unemployment figures, if the visa system had been changed earlier, fewer foreigners would have taken British jobs.
'Had the points system been in place last year, there would have been 12per cent fewer people coming to work through the equivalent route,' he said.
The government also said it was trimming the list of jobs that Britain does not have enough skilled workers to fill.
Workers from outside the European Union must now show either that they have the skills to perform the jobs they are coming to do, or that they have sponsorship from an employer who can prove that a British resident cannot be found for the jobs.
Managers of big construction projects, civil engineers, physicists, geologists, meteorologists, chemical engineers, doctors and dentists are among the groups where labour is short, according to the government's list.
Britain is trying to reduce the inflow of immigrants after the arrival of more than half a million a year for the past five years.
The record numbers since the Labour government took office 11 years ago have put a strain on schools, the police and hospitals.
Tuesday's changes are part of the biggest revamp of immigration rules in Britain since the 1950s, when the nation opened its doors to attract low-skilled workers needed to fuel the post-World War II economy.
Britain also needs biological scientists, therapists, secondary school maths and science teachers, quantity surveyors, nurses, ballet dancers, skilled sheep shearers, jockeys and social workers.
Employers seeking to hire a migrant worker who is not on the government's list of shortage occupations must meet the so-called resident labour market test.
That involves demonstrating that no suitably qualified settled worker is available to do the job, by advertising the vacancy before it is filled.
Britain is replacing a labyrinth of 80separate categories, under which immigrants could previously apply for a visa, with a five-tier system.
The new immigration arrangement is based on Australia's entry system, which awards potential migrants points according to their education, qualifications and work background.
Tier1, which opened in February, is aimed at doctors, academics, computer experts and bankers.
The list issued on Tuesday refers to Tier2 workers, covering employees with job offers and temporary workers.
Tier4 for students begins in March next year, and Tier3, for low-skilled workers, possibly after that.
Tier5, for temporary workers, begins later this year.
Meanwhile, the country that inspired Britain's new system also looks likely to cut the number of openings for foreigners seeking work, even as growing numbers of Britons seek to escape the looming recession at home by heading Down Under.
Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans last month said the government would wait until last week's release of mid-year financial data before deciding on whether to reduce numbers.
No announcement about changes to visa allocations has been made yet, but the gloomy economic forecast was that gross domestic product and employment growth would slow significantly. With the opposition calling for the record quota of 190,300 immigrants for this year and next to be slashed by around a quarter, opportunities for foreigners to work in Australia are likely to follow Britain's downward trend.
[email protected]
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%"> </TD><TD class=msgopt noWrap width="24%">
Options</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Immigration rules tightened to reduce inflows; govt also trimming list of jobs that are short of manpower
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->LONDON: Britain is slashing by a fifth the number of visas for skilled workers as the country enters a recession and unemployment soars.
The Home Office said it would issue 800,000 work permits under a section of its new Australian-style visa system, which begins on Nov 27 for skilled workers.
There were one million spots open under the old system, which is being phased out to clamp down on migrant flows.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour government is under pressure to crack down on immigration after record inflows since 2004.
Tuesday's decision came on the eve of a report issued yesterday which showed that in the three months to September, the number of people without work jumped by 140,000 to 1.82million, the highest level in 11 years.
As Immigration Minister Phil Woolas pointed out ahead of the release of the unemployment figures, if the visa system had been changed earlier, fewer foreigners would have taken British jobs.
'Had the points system been in place last year, there would have been 12per cent fewer people coming to work through the equivalent route,' he said.
The government also said it was trimming the list of jobs that Britain does not have enough skilled workers to fill.
Workers from outside the European Union must now show either that they have the skills to perform the jobs they are coming to do, or that they have sponsorship from an employer who can prove that a British resident cannot be found for the jobs.
Managers of big construction projects, civil engineers, physicists, geologists, meteorologists, chemical engineers, doctors and dentists are among the groups where labour is short, according to the government's list.
Britain is trying to reduce the inflow of immigrants after the arrival of more than half a million a year for the past five years.
The record numbers since the Labour government took office 11 years ago have put a strain on schools, the police and hospitals.
Tuesday's changes are part of the biggest revamp of immigration rules in Britain since the 1950s, when the nation opened its doors to attract low-skilled workers needed to fuel the post-World War II economy.
Britain also needs biological scientists, therapists, secondary school maths and science teachers, quantity surveyors, nurses, ballet dancers, skilled sheep shearers, jockeys and social workers.
Employers seeking to hire a migrant worker who is not on the government's list of shortage occupations must meet the so-called resident labour market test.
That involves demonstrating that no suitably qualified settled worker is available to do the job, by advertising the vacancy before it is filled.
Britain is replacing a labyrinth of 80separate categories, under which immigrants could previously apply for a visa, with a five-tier system.
The new immigration arrangement is based on Australia's entry system, which awards potential migrants points according to their education, qualifications and work background.
Tier1, which opened in February, is aimed at doctors, academics, computer experts and bankers.
The list issued on Tuesday refers to Tier2 workers, covering employees with job offers and temporary workers.
Tier4 for students begins in March next year, and Tier3, for low-skilled workers, possibly after that.
Tier5, for temporary workers, begins later this year.
Meanwhile, the country that inspired Britain's new system also looks likely to cut the number of openings for foreigners seeking work, even as growing numbers of Britons seek to escape the looming recession at home by heading Down Under.
Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans last month said the government would wait until last week's release of mid-year financial data before deciding on whether to reduce numbers.
No announcement about changes to visa allocations has been made yet, but the gloomy economic forecast was that gross domestic product and employment growth would slow significantly. With the opposition calling for the record quota of 190,300 immigrants for this year and next to be slashed by around a quarter, opportunities for foreigners to work in Australia are likely to follow Britain's downward trend.
[email protected]
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%"> </TD><TD class=msgopt noWrap width="24%">
