In what may be a harbinger for our trends in US Immigration policy, a UK plan denies entry to ‘low-skilled’ foreign workers. As a result, industries expect labor shortages. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, wants immigrants to meet requirements for skills, qualifications and English-speaking ability. I have special interest in this as a former UK resident.
So, if you are in your local Starbucks in England, the plan would exclude your “low-skilled” immigrant barista. This has ignited a nationwide outcry from business groups and employers who warned that the restrictions could cripple a broad swath of industries.
Here in the US, we are familiar with the aggressive policies of our government. I have podcasted on, for example, on the crisis that led federal immigration authorities to bus nearly 2,000 unaccompanied children from shelters around the country to a “tent city” in the desert of Texas. And the Trump administration had proposal that would make it harder for legal immigrants to become citizens or get green cards if they have ever used a range of popular public welfare programs, including Obamacare.
Likewise, the UK immigration policy would make it far more difficult for nationals of European Union countries to live and work in Britain beginning next year, when last month’s formal departure from the European Union takes effect. Critics have predicted many of those will be to Britain’s long-term detriment.
As Britain leaves it’s membership in the EU, partly based on anti-immigrant sentiment this reminds me of the populism and xenophobia that have swept other European countries over the last several years. This also mirrors that of President Trump, who favors an immigration system that would essentially exclude the poor and unskilled.
The new rules demand that immigrant workers speak English; many currently do not. It is reasonable to expect this, assistance to learn to become bilingual or even a polyglot.
If you came from the EU to Britain over the last 15 years you would not qualify for a work visa under the new standards, which require a well-paying job offer from an approved employer.
Then there is the jobs that could be freed up by these rules for native Brits. Care workers looking after aging Brits, construction workers out in all weather, getting the job done. Will these jobs be taken up by others?
Here in the US we have some background on this approach, and it is mostly myth. 7.6% of immigrants are self-employed compared to 5.6% of native-born Americans and they founded more than 40% of Fortune 500 companies, according to the Bush Center.
Likewise, the average European migrant arriving in the UK in 2016 will contribute £78,000 more than they take out in public services and benefits over their time spent in the UK, and the average non-European migrant will make a positive net contribution of £28,000 while living here. By comparison, the average UK citizen’s net lifetime contribution in this scenario is zero. This is according to Oxford Economics, is a leader in global forecasting and quantitative analysis.
Also, according to the Center and Budget and Policy Priorities, immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy in many ways.
They work at high rates and make up more than a third of the workforce in some industries. Their geographic mobility helps local economies respond to worker shortages, smoothing out bumps that could otherwise weaken the economy. Immigrant workers help support the aging native-born population, increasing the number of workers as compared to retirees and bolstering the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. And children born to immigrant families are upwardly mobile, promising future benefits not only to their families, but to the U.S. economy overall.
Back in the UK, Johnson’s government said the new rules would “open the U.K. to the brightest and the best from around the world” while ending reliance on “cheap,