UK issues tough visa restrictions for Ugandan workers, students

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDPENDENT | Ugandans seeking to work or study in the United Kingdom will lose the privilege of travelling with their families according to new immigration rules issued by the Home Office.

According to the new rules, only students pursuing a postgraduate research programme will be allowed to travel with their families. Workers in health and care, who are said to be the majority of the migrant labour workforce, will not be permitted to take their families.

According to the new rules that take effect next year, for anyone not in the health and care sector to be granted a work visa, they must have a job paying £38,700, up from £26,200.

“Those coming on the health and care visa route will be exempted from the increase to the salary threshold for skilled worker visas, so we can continue to bring the healthcare workers that our care sector and NHS need, and we will exempt those on national pay scales, for example, teachers,” the statement reads in part.

It adds: “Earlier this year, the government announced a package of measures to cut the number of student visas being issued. This included removing the right for international students to bring dependents unless they are on postgraduate research courses and removing the ability for international students to switch onto work routes before their studies are completed,”