Immigration rules to impact on nail & beauty industry workers
By Zoe Wickens | 03 March 2020 | Movers & Shakers, News
A points-based immigration system that has been brought in by the government could have an impact on beauty industry workers, warns the National Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF).
The system plan will make it harder for some workers to enter the UK. Anyone from inside or outside of the European Union who wants to live and work in the UK from 1 January 2021 will need a minimum of 70 points to qualify for a visa.
Mandatory criteria for earning points include a job offer with a sponsoring company, which is worth 20 points; a job at appropriate skill level, which is worth 20 points and the ability to speak English at the required level, which is worth 10 points.
Once the mandatory criteria have been met, other criteria allow applicants to top up points, including:
- A minimum salary of £20,480, but to earn points the salary must be £23,040 to £25,599 (10 points) or more than £25,600 (20 points).
- A job on the government’s jobs shortage list (20 points). The list currently includes nursing, civil engineering, psychology and classical ballet dancing, among others.
- A doctorate level degree (PhD) in a subject relevant to the job (10 points) or in a science, technology, engineering or maths subject (20 points).
Hilary Hall, NHBF chief executive
NHBF chief executive Hilary Hall comments: “The government has set criteria which link low pay to low skills. We know that people working in hair and beauty often earn minimum wages, but that certainly does not mean they are low-skilled. But under the new system it’s unlikely that many hair or beauty applicants will meet the points-based system criteria.
“Salons looking to fill vacancies from overseas should make those appointments before 31 December 2020 as the new criteria will make it much harder to recruit foreign workers, whether they are EU or non-EU citizens.”