The recent changes to HSMP have been quite controversial. The shadow immigration minister, along with the Race Equality Watchdog and HSMP Forum have led calls for the suspension of the new HSMP rules, until there has been an opportunity for the legality of the changes to be verified.
The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) allows skilled migrants from around the world to move to the UK to take employment. HSMP holders may bring their family members to the UK. Effectively, HSMP holders are committing their lives to the UK, by leaving their jobs, selling all their possessions, and moving their families to the UK.
Over 30,000 migrants that have already travelled to the UK under the HSMP scheme may now be negatively affected by the HSMP changes that have been announced. These skilled migrants include Doctors, Scientists, Engineers, IT Consultants, Academics and Entrepreneurs.
The changes, designed to crush abuse of the HSMP scheme, link success of an applicant to their income, rather than work experience or major professional achievements.
Many skilled migrants, who came to the UK with a view to settling permanently, now face either returning home voluntarily or being deported, due to the HSMP changes.
The issue for challengers of the changes is the retrospective nature of the rules. Although the UK Border Agency has introduced the HSMP changes to reduce the risk of abuse of the scheme, migrants that have made their commitment to the UK should not face a change in the conditions that they originally signed up to.
It appears that the UK Border Agency is concerned that HSMP holders are not infact performing highly skilled work in the UK.
