as part of a five-year plan to overhaul the business.
The Immigration Skills Charge will increase by 32%, leading smaller firms to pay up to £2,400 to sponsor workers to come to the UK, while large firms will pay up to £6,600.Universities could also be hit by higher charges. The government plans to look into a new tax on every international student enrolled in a UK university, with the proceeds redirected into skills training.
At the same time, colleges must meet stricter thresholds, with at least 95% of international students expected to start their course and 90% expected to finish.The qualification requirements to apply for a skilled worker visa will go back up, reversing changes made under Johnson's government.It will mean new applicants will generally need a degree-level qualification, rather than the equivalent of A-level, which ministers say will make around 180 job roles ineligible for the visa route.
Lower qualification requirements will remain for sectors facing long-term shortages, or those considered key to the government's industrial strategy.However it is not yet clear what that means in practice, and the government's migration advisory body has been asked to recommend roles for inclusion.
The government also said:
The government will also explore changing the law on how the right to a family life contained in Article 8 in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is applied in immigration cases.“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and have written extensively to customers and businesses locally to inform them about this investigative work."
A stretch of the A417 will be closed while National Highwayson the major commuter route.
Leckhampton Hill by Cheltenham will be closed from 5 August to 22 September.There will be a diversion route in place for the closure, which could add up to 25 minutes to any journeys.