Truss to review visa scheme

Truss is set to make changes to the shortage occupation list, which would allow certain industries to recruit more staff from overseas, according to the ​​Financial Times​​.​

The review could also endorse a loosening of the requirement to speak English, in some sectors.

Truss is also set to lift the cap on foreign labourers working in British seasonal agriculture, which had been set at 38,000.

A Downing Street official said: “We need to put measures in place so that we have the right skills that the economy, including the rural economy, needs to stimulate growth,” the official said. “That will involve increasing numbers in some areas and decreasing in others.”

Business groups have welcomed news of the review.

CBI employers’ organisation said: “Guarding against skills and labour shortages can simultaneously help keep inflation in check while ensuring firms have the people they need to grow, benefiting everyone.”

The hospitality sector has been calling for the Government to ease visa regulations in order to plug the recruitment gap.

Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, recently called for a relaxation of current visa rules​​ to allow international entry-level hospitality staff to enter the workforce.

He is seeking support from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to help place entry-level hospitality roles, including waiters, line cooks, and hotel receptionists onto the government’s shortage occupation list, which offers lower barriers of entry and reduced visa fees for certain professions.