The Government has said that it wants to let people in the UK that provide skills for jobs the country needs.
Under the new post-Brexit immigration plan, European Union (EU) nationals will not be given preferential treatment over those wishing to move to the UK from countries around the world.
Theresa May has said her plan will focus on what skills an individual can bring to the UK rather than what country they come from.
At present, there is no single definition of what constitutes as a low-skilled worker, but essentially it means someone that does not qualify for a tier 2 working visa.
In order to obtain this visa, the worker needs to be offered a “skilled job” in the UK that is being sponsored by their employer.
They will also need to be earning at least £30,000 per year unless they are a nurse, paramedic, midwife or teacher.
Additionally, they must have £945 in their bank account, which is to cover the cost of a month’s rent, if needed.
Amid the ongoing debate of the post-Brexit immigration policy, there have been concerns around how the perception of low-skilled workers could lead to people forming stereotypes and using the term in a derogatory sense.
Sunder Katwala is from think tank British Future; which produced a report on attitudes towards immigration across the UK.
But he warned that it could be problematic when the language used to describe migrants becomes too “simplistic” and, therefore, misleading.
He said: “The three most common images of migrants that people talk about in our National Conversation citizens’ panel were the Indian doctor, the low-skilled but hard-working Polish worker and the refugee.”
He added: “Our research finds care workers are just as valued as the highest-paid workers because it’s a vital socially productive role. Three-quarters of people would oppose reducing care workers.
“The problem isn’t talking about skills. The challenge for the Government is to recognise they need to work harder to secure public confidence when we do need migration in lower and medium-skilled work too.”
