This April, substantial changes to migration rules and income threshold will come into effect. Nationally, UCU is opposing these callous measures and is finding common ground with employers (e.g., UCEA, UUK) to jointly lobby government. The Migrant Members Standing Committee are prioritizing work in this area.
Locally, we have written to the University to demand they take supportive action for individuals affected as well as use their influence to oppose these changes. Amongst other aims, we are pushing the university to facilitate renewal of visas or category switching where that would enable individual members to apply under current, less stringent criteria. Correspondence can be found below. We will continue to monitor the situation and ensure timely action is taken by the university.
If you, whether for your own visa or as a sponsor for a family visa, are affected by these changes, please speak to your rep or contact Gertjan Lucas, UoN UCU Equality Officer and UCU Migrant Members Standing Committee (gertjan@gertjanlucas.nl). Further advice is available here under the heading ‘Information for members affected by changes to the immigration salary thresholds’. General information for migrant members, including legal support by expert immigration lawyers Bindmans, is available here. Note that access to individual legal support is subject to specific requirements. Please contact the branch (uonucubranch@gmail.com) in the first instance for case work support.
UoN UCU email to the VC and HR director 08/02/2024
As you will be aware, the government has announced considerable changes to immigration salary thresholds and some other aspects of their visa regime that will take effect in April or thereabouts. UCU has strongly condemned these changes, and other proposals under discussion which will be damaging to staff as well as students in the HE sector and beyond. We are aware that UCEA and UUK have expressed similar concerns. UCEA and UCU are working on a joint statement to lobby the government in this matter. We ask you use your influence in UCEA, and more broadly in the sector, to echo our concerns and oppose the latest acceleration in anti-immigration rhetoric that is using the lives of international staff and students as a political punching bag.
Moreover, these changes will be affecting our migrant members subject to immigration control and any member who acts as a sponsor for a family visa. To that effect, UCU is asking employers to support our migrant members to ensure their continued leave to remain in the UK.
On behalf of the University of Nottingham branch and its migrant members, I am writing to ask the university does as follows:
- Since the threshold changes have not yet taken effect, we ask you to support anyone wishing to renew their Skilled Worker and Family Visa visas before the end of March 2024 by expediting matters such as confirming sponsorship, providing employer letters, and so on. It would be a good show of faith in staff’s contribution to the university if you would identify anyone potentially affected by these changes and encourage them to investigate the option of an early renewal of their work or family visas.
- Where staff will fall short of the threshold and are unable to renew their visas ahead of the changes taking effect, we encourage you to explore options for topping up salaries in order to retain staff, avoiding life-destroying consequences for staff and considerable costs for you in replacing staff making considerable contributions to the institution.
- Where staff are unable to reach the new threshold for visa renewals due on or after 1 April but wish to apply for another type of visa (e.g. global talent, family), that you offer ad hoc support (e.g. emergency loans) to enable staff to engage with this process.
We look forward to hearing you will stand up for international staff who are facing a cliff edge the moment these immigration changes come into effect.
UoN response via Director of HR Operations 12/02/2024
Thank you for your email addressed to Shearer and Jaspal.
The forthcoming immigration changes will undoubtedly raise many challenges and the global mobility/immigration team in the HR department have been working through what these changes will mean for our staff and students and have submitted a paper to the People and Culture Committee for discussion on the 11 March 2024.
We are committed to connecting with Trade Unions thereafter for conversation and to ensure what is proposed in terms of support is fair and reasonable, mindful of our duty of care and internal affordability.
In the interim period, we propose any colleagues who have immediate requests, continue to connect direct with the global mobility/immigration team br-staffimmigration@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk
Communication will be key throughout the next few months and I’m expecting to receive a draft plan to review this week.
Please don’t hesitate to connect with me direct should you have any further questions and I appreciate Shearer and Jaspal will wish to remain close to this sensitive people challenge.
UoN UCU follow-up email 13/02/2024
Many thanks for responding to our email on the April immigration changes.
Directing affected staff to contact the global mobility/immigration team to discuss their individual situation makes sense yet limits the university’s immediate response to a passive one with little visibility. We presented proposals on what proactive steps the university could take, i.e., encourage and facilitate early renewal (bullet point 1) and/or category switching (bullet point 3) where that allows making use of current, less stringent visa requirements. You could write to staff you are currently sponsoring, as well as include a general message in the staff newsletter.
We understand that longer-term steps are part of the paper to the People and Culture Committee and would appreciate receiving a copy, as well as for the draft plan once available.
Last, we had mentioned an ask to lobby UCEA and others in the sector to take a stance against these changes and the growing anti-immigration sentiment these embody. We hope you can affirm the university will be acting on this request.
UoN response via Director of HR Operations 14/02/2024
To reconfirm we are prioritising a communication plan, which will include communication in the next week to individuals impacted by the forthcoming changes. In the interim, if colleagues have immediate asks, they can continue to connect in with the immigration team in HR.
I can confirm we are exploring a wealth of options, including points you have referenced. As this has a financial consideration, this will be presented to the organisation for approval.
We appreciate this is an extremely sensitive and anxious time for colleagues, therefore we are aiming to address the immediate asks in the next few weeks, with longer-term arrangements routed to PCC in March, as requested by the Talent Group.
We understand UCEA has met with sector bodies including Universities UK and the Russell Group to discuss sector concerns and potential influencing activities. I understand there is an agreement to send a joint letter to the Home Secretary to express concern at the significant increase to the salary threshold and the potential impact of the increase in the sector and also to seek clarification on some of the measures. We will explore how the University of Nottingham is tapping into these conversations and can respond to this point once we have all the facts.
As part of the communication and engagement plan, we will be happy to reconnect in the next few weeks. In the meanwhile, please do contact me direct if you have any further questions.
We will be working closely with Finance, Leaders, Trade Unions and impacted staff to find fair and reasonable solutions to a particularly challenging ask.
UoN UCU follow-up email 16/02/2024
Many thanks for the further details on the actions the university will be taking in the more immediate future, this provides some measure of reassurance. We would appreciate receiving updates as you are able to provide them, and opportunities to feed into decision making.