UK to open up job market for Bangladeshi chefs
Monday, 29 September 2008
Opportunities for Bangladeshi chefs are going to open up to get jobs in Britain's burgeoning curry industry as the British Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recently published its list of skills shortages caused by the new Point-based Immigration Policy, reports UNB.
The UK's Point-based Immigration Policy sealed off the chance of Bangladeshi chefs and kitchen porters to get jobs in the curry industry. The new policy allowed recruitment of chefs and workers only from European countries.
About 100,000 Bangladeshi are employed in the curry industry, contributing 4.0 billion pounds sterling to the British economy.
After months of lobbying the British government, the MAC published a list of shortage of key chefs on September 9.
Talking to the news agency in London former British lawmaker and Chief Executive of the Immigration Advisory Service Keith Best said he gave evidence to MAC chairperson Prof David Metcalf on behalf of the curry industry and other ethnic cuisine, which is finding it hard to recruit key chefs.
He said inclusion on the skills shortage list is an acceptance of that position and the recognition that there is a shortage of chefs.
Best said the recommendations of the MAC deal only with the chef shortage. From the end of November, when Tier 2 (work permits) of the new Points Based System scheme comes into effect, only those employers who are registered as sponsors will be able to recruit from outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
He said only employees who reach the 70 necessary points would be given entry clearance.
The effect of placing a job on the skills shortage list is that, although the 10 points for passing the English language test and the 10 points for showing that there is sufficient maintenance (about £800 will be required) remain mandatory, the potential employer (sponsor) will not have to conduct the Resident Labour Market Test (advertising the post for at least two weeks in JobCentre Plus to enable any EEA citizen to apply).
The UK's Point-based Immigration Policy sealed off the chance of Bangladeshi chefs and kitchen porters to get jobs in the curry industry. The new policy allowed recruitment of chefs and workers only from European countries.
About 100,000 Bangladeshi are employed in the curry industry, contributing 4.0 billion pounds sterling to the British economy.
After months of lobbying the British government, the MAC published a list of shortage of key chefs on September 9.
Talking to the news agency in London former British lawmaker and Chief Executive of the Immigration Advisory Service Keith Best said he gave evidence to MAC chairperson Prof David Metcalf on behalf of the curry industry and other ethnic cuisine, which is finding it hard to recruit key chefs.
He said inclusion on the skills shortage list is an acceptance of that position and the recognition that there is a shortage of chefs.
Best said the recommendations of the MAC deal only with the chef shortage. From the end of November, when Tier 2 (work permits) of the new Points Based System scheme comes into effect, only those employers who are registered as sponsors will be able to recruit from outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
He said only employees who reach the 70 necessary points would be given entry clearance.
The effect of placing a job on the skills shortage list is that, although the 10 points for passing the English language test and the 10 points for showing that there is sufficient maintenance (about £800 will be required) remain mandatory, the potential employer (sponsor) will not have to conduct the Resident Labour Market Test (advertising the post for at least two weeks in JobCentre Plus to enable any EEA citizen to apply).