Britain to restrict jobs going to overseas skilled workers

LONDON: Britain will unveil plans to restrict jobs going to skilled workers from overseas, including India, amid recession leading to a poor job market.

Home Office sources on Sunday said British firms will be forced to advertise jobs solely through UK jobcentres for a month, instead of the present 15 days, before being allowed to recruit outside Europe.

The qualification period for skilled foreign workers employed by multinational companies to become eligible for transfers to Britain will be doubled to a year. The measures recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee are designed to tilt the odds in favour of British jobseekers and those from EU countries with a right to work in the UK.

The threshold of income at which foreign nationals become eligible for a work permit under tier 2 of the points-based immigration system, which covers skilled workers, will be raised from ��17,000 to ��20,000, effectively shrinking the job pool for skilled overseas workers.