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James Bowes
@jamesbowes01.bsky.social
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 21m
It’s not possible to get a work visa as a chef now, unless you already had a work visa before 22nd July 2025.

NHS staff already have to pass a tougher English test. I think this is right, it’s too dangerous to have medical staff with poor English. Other jobs I don’t think it’s as essential.
James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 1h
Ah that’s a very good point. I was just assuming it would be easy enough for people to pass if they’re working at that level as they’d be more or less fluent in English but fair point if the tests are needlessly tricky.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 2h
I don’t particularly have a problem with B2 for high skilled professionals but I do for ILR applications. I tend to think it’s too high for skilled workers in eg construction or manufacturing.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 4h
Right to family/private life changes are probably the most damaging from a rights perspective. This one from an economic perspective. Hard to tell with regard to the graduate visa change. I’m not entirely sure why we have a graduate visa if we make it so difficult for graduates to stay longer.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 6h
Yes eg would a failed asylum seeker be able to stay under Article 8? Someone here illegally or with a criminal conviction presumably wouldn’t and someone who has a family visa but falls below the salary threshold presumably would still be okay. But it’s unclear for a failed asylum seeker.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 6h
They have changed the rules so that the full suitability rules now apply to people applying for right to family or private life under Article 8 of the ECHR. It’s been snuck in really.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 6h
I’m thinking restricting the jobs eligible for a skilled worker visa probably means most remaining workers have B2 anyway. I’d expect people coming for a graduate level job to have to speak good English anyway. But this wouldn’t necessarily be true for a chef.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 7h
@colinyeo.bsky.social I’m guessing this would exclude many criminals from using the route and also illegal immigrants? Do you think it would affect failed asylum seekers using the route?
James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 8h
It looks like it will now apply to Article 8 Family/Private Life applications. A big change snuck in if that's the case.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 8h
Yes I can’t see more than 8,000 coming on the High Potential Individual Visa but I guess it does sort of depend on which universities are in the top 100. Some Indian universities making the cut would increase numbers somewhat, but we’re less appealing with the tougher work visa rules elsewhere.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 10h
It’s interesting how they’ll target countries where there aren’t too many people claiming asylum or staying to work illegally but never dare require a visa from Brazilians where the number is obviously much larger.
Reposted by James Bowes
lukepiper.bsky.social
Luke Piper @lukepiper.bsky.social · 12h
More rules changes coming today, include:

Botswana visa free travel stopped from 15:00 today.

Graduate route reduced to 18 months for most.

English language requirements for several work routes will be increased to B2 level from Jan 2026.

questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.
questions-statements.parliament.uk
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 15h
There’s no migration debate here. Recruitment overseas of care workers is already banned.

The ‘debate’ is that Reform and the Conservatives want mass deportation of the care workers who are already here and Labour don’t. The former is clearly a racist position.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 1d
Rishi and Keir both have the feel of back to Mary Whitehouse prime ministers though. Boris, not so much.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 1d
Thank you that does look interesting.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 2d
The only thing I can find on graduate visa switchers is this which shows people doing a professional job are the most common, but people are overrepresented in associate professional and technical jobs (likely TSL) relative to other work visa holders. This predates the salary threshold rise though.
James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 2d
Yes, not everyone on it is technically a BNO national but only because some Chinese nationals (or I guess nationals of other countries) living in Hong Kong can come as family of a BNO passport holder.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 2d
Interesting. I guess even when new graduates do earn £41,700 they're very unlikely to be immediately earning the going rate for eg a software engineer (£54,700!)
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 2d
They have of course closed the Afghan resettlement scheme and refugee family reunification, and banned Ukrainians from ILR after 10 years.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 2d
@bouri.bsky.social does this match your experience when you work with people switching from the graduate visa to a skilled worker visa? At my work it’s often people getting a 2 year visa for medium skilled jobs (eg data analyst) paid at the new entrant rate.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 3d
2. There’s a proposal to remove the new entrant discount for jobs on the Temporary Shortage List and make these ineligible for ILR. People switching from the graduate visa are likely overrepresented on the TSL (eg sales, marketing, data analytics or technical roles) so this would be a big cut. (2/2)
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 3d
www.gov.uk/government/p...

A few thoughts on this:
1. If jobs are downgraded to NQF level 1-2 then that usually means you can only renew a visa if it’s the same occupation and same employer. The proposal here would affect many of the most common non-graduate jobs for people to do on visas. (1/x)
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 3d
Beat me to it.
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 3d
ukandeu.ac.uk/diversity-eu...
The surprising diversity of the EU national population in the UK - UK in a changing Europe
James Bowes unpacks the latest census and EU Settlement Scheme data to explore the diversity of the EU national population in the UK.
ukandeu.ac.uk
James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 3d
www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28...
Recent trends in immigration from Canada to the United States
The flow of migrants across international borders is a critical factor shaping national economies, innovation capacity, and societal development in the 21st century. For neighbouring countries with de...
www150.statcan.gc.ca