United Kingdom: Review of Information Technology and Engineering Sectors Published
May 29, 2025
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At a Glance
- The Migration Advisory Committee has published its independent review of visa usage in the information technology and engineering sectors.
- The report found that immigration is proportionately used by these sectors and that immigrants in these occupations have a positive fiscal impact on the UK economy. The review also highlights various recruitment challenges in these sectors.
- The review makes no policy recommendations but lays out some groundwork for future policy discussions, so although there is no immediate impact on employers and foreign nationals in the United Kingdom, the review is important as it advises the UK government in its policy-making direction.
The situation
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has published its independent review of visa usage in the information technology and engineering sectors.
A closer look
The report found that immigration is proportionately used by these sectors and migrants in these occupations have a positive fiscal impact on the UK economy. Specific key findings, among others, include:
- Visa use. The information technology sector uses more visas than the engineering sector, but both are proportionate to sector size. Neither sector relies on international recruitment as most new hires are from the resident workforce.
- Incentive to use Global Business Mobility Route. The Skilled Worker route uses higher salary thresholds, which may exclude junior roles; whereas the Global Business Mobility route has lower salary thresholds. This creates a misaligned incentive to use the Global Business Mobility route regardless of whether the employee is ‘senior’ or a ‘specialist’.
- Immigration Skills Charge. The Immigration Skills Charge produced GBP 660 million in annual government revenue, but there is limited transparency in its use.
- Policy debates. The MAC also invites caution to ongoing policy debates—particularly around the feasibility of linking skills development and immigration policy. It emphasises that immigration will continue to be necessary even with greater domestic skills investment. It dispels concerns about how the immigration system is used in these sectors and instead highlights the genuine challenges driving international recruitment, the critical net contribution of migrants, and the role of immigration in sustaining the United Kingdom’s growth ambitions.
Impact
Though there are no firm policy decisions yet, stakeholders have a continued opportunity to help shape the UK immigration system’s evolution through advocacy.
Employers should reassess their use of the Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility routes, in light of MAC’s concerns about misaligned incentives and cost structures.
Background
The MAC is an independent UK body that provides evidence-based advice to the UK government on immigration matters.
Although there is no immediate impact on employers and foreign nationals in the United Kingdom, the MAC’s findings will have an impact on the way the UK immigration system is shaped, as it advises the UK government in its policy-making decisions.
Looking ahead
The UK government will now assess the report and decide on further policy shaping events. Further sectoral reviews by the MAC are anticipated. We will report on related developments.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
