Employers facing post-Brexit uncertainty: Chetal Patel comments on Global Talent visa launch

In the run-up to the UK’s official exit from the European Union, Chetal Patel responded to the launch of the Global Talent visa with her thoughts on what recent developments in the field of immigration law mean for employers.

Addressing the “pivotal” announcement of the new visa, Chetal makes the point that the development and introduction of an entirely new immigration system by January 2021 will be a significant challenge for the government.

In remarks which were featured in People Management’s coverage of this news Chetal said:

“The launch of the Global Talent visa is welcome news for universities and the science and research sector and it reinforces the government’s commitment to attracting the brightest and the best. It is hoped that this phase of reforms to the immigration system will assist the Government in achieving its stated objective to increase annual GDP growth to 2.4% by 2027.

“Will we see individuals using this new route rather than go through the cumbersome application process for Tier 2 visas, due to sponsorship and the costly Immigration Skills Charge? I expect that recruitment practices for businesses will change as there is more scope for businesses to recruit for the specialist roles that fall under this new visa.

“With UKRI having been added to the list of endorsing bodies we are once again seeing the Government devolving responsibility of decision making to a third party. It makes commercial sense for an organisation which is in tune with the sector’s needs and requirements to have this power.

“The timing of the Global Talent visa is pivotal. With the UK embarking today on the “dawn of a new era” and the MAC’s report having been published earlier this week, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for other sectors and whether the Global Talent visa is viewed as a long-term solution or a PR exercise.

“Also, while this latest development is welcome news for some, questions remain as to how Whitehall will create a fully functioning immigration system by January 2021 – a tall order given the time and resource which will be spent during the transitional period.”

Want to read the People Management piece in which Chetal is quoted? You can find the relevant article here.