How will the points-based immigration system work for your salon?

Looking at the plans for immigration laid out by The Government recently, salons could find recruiting a challenge once the system is rolled out in 2021. The plans laid out by the government will make it harder for 'low-skilled' workers to enter the UK and for migrants to access benefits unless they have been granted indefinite leave to remain, usually after 5 years. Any foreign nationals wanting to live and work in the UK from 1 January 2021 will need a minimum of 70 points to qualify for a visa. The same points-based system will work in the same way for people coming in from EU or non-EU countries.

The three mandatory criteria for earning points are:

A job offer with a ‘sponsoring’ company – 20 points Job at appropriate skill level – 20 points Ability to speak English at the required level – 10 points

Once the mandatory criteria have been met, other criteria allow applicants to top up points including:

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). Job on the government’s jobs shortage list – 20 points. You can view the full list here 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). Taking into account the average wage of a hairdresser and the fact that you don't need formal higher education for a job in the industry, Hilary Hall, NHBF chief executive, echoes the concerns of many when speaking about the new system and the impact it could have on hairdressing. "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." She continues, "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.”