Skilled migrants could train and mentor British workers under a new “work and teach” visa proposed by a leading think tank and backed by Labour MPs. The visas would be granted to foreign workers who agree to dedicate a significant percentage of their working hours to helping to improve local skillsets, under the plans drawn up by the Good Growth Foundation (GGF). The proposal, published in a report called Take Back Control, which has reportedly been circulated around Downing Street, could cut anti-immigrant sentiment and boost economic output by up to £10 billion, it was suggested.
GGF, which is backed by Lord Blunkett, a former cabinet minister under Tony Blair, found in its analysis that the visa proposals reduced the number of Brits who were “very concerned” about migration by 18 percentage points. The idea, which could see a foreign engineer required to spend around 15% of the week sharing their knowledge with junior British workers, also garnered praise from Chris Curtis MP, head of the Labour Growth Group.
“This is migration policy that actually solves problems in our economy rather than just managing decline,” he told The Times. “We desperately need skills for clean energy, advanced manufacturing and infrastructure.
“This proposal helps us plug those gaps urgently while building our own workforce so the British people can see immigration working in the national interest rather than at their expense.”
“The data shows concern about immigration dropping sharply when voters see this contributory model,” Mr Curtis added. “That’s because people recognise fairness when they see it.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood previously told the Labour Party conference that migrants entering Britain would need to prove they are contributing to society in order to earn the right to remain.
The think tank suggested that the new visa scheme should be incorporated into the existing points-based immigration system, enabling migrants to earn “dynamic” points towards their applications rather than just those based on salary and qualifications.
It also said survey results showed that 74% of working age people in the UK would be interested in learning new skills if not for time and money barriers.
“You can’t out-Farage [Nigel] Farage,” Praful Nargund, director of GGF, said. “We need a progressive vision on immigration which welcomes contribution and commitment to our country while opening up opportunity here in Britain too.
“Linking immigration and skills reform flips the narrative from pressures to partnership, giving new arrivals and British workers the chance to work together to fix our country.”
