Under the new regime prospective migrants to the UK are required to obtain “points” to qualify for a visa, many of which depend on the applicant being offered a salary of more than £25,600. This means workers classed as low skilled will be largely excluded from entry – which means many of those in retail or social care who are now classified as "key workers" in the response to Coronavirus. People such as delivery drivers, farm and supermarket workers, home-care assistants, hospital porters and cleaners.
Sophia Wolpers, immigration policy manager at London First, said: “The current crisis has shown just how vitally important workers previously deemed lower skilled are to the UK economy as a whole. The government should revisit its proposals in the days and weeks ahead.” Read more here and here.