Labour migration and the work permit system in the United Kingdom

Area of Science:

• Socioeconomic impacts of labor migration policies.
• Analysis of UK immigration systems and labor markets.

Background:

• The United Kingdom's work permit system governs labor migration.
• Understanding the characteristics of immigrants is crucial for policy evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effects of the UK's work permit system.
• To describe the characteristics of labor immigration through official schemes.

Main Methods:

• Review of the UK labor migration system and its schemes.
• Analysis of official data from 1984-1988 on labor immigration.
• Examination of a sample of work permit applications and issuances.

Main Results:

• Labor immigration through the UK work permit system is selective.
• Highly skilled and well-paid individuals dominate long-term permit entries.
• Immigration is often facilitated within the internal labor markets of multinational corporations.

Conclusions:

• The UK's work permit system favors highly skilled migrants.
• The system appears to serve the needs of large corporations' internal labor mobility.
• Current policies result in a selective immigration profile.