Migration Advisory Committee

The Migration Advisory Committee is a non-departmental public body associated with the British Home Office. It was established in 2007.{{cite news|title=Minutes of the Migration Advisory Committee meetings|url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/workingwithus/mac/minutes/|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130407040059/http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/workingwithus/mac/minutes/|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 April 2013|accessdate=2 May 2016|publisher=National Archives|date=11 March 2013}}

{{asof|2023}}, the chair is Brian Bell, professor of economics at King's College London.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/migration-advisory-committee|title=Migration Advisory Committee|website=gov.uk|access-date=2022-05-28}} Alan Manning was a previous chair. Professor Sir David Metcalf CBE was the chair from 2007 to 2016.

It offers independent advice to the government on immigration policy, and particularly on the Shortage Occupation List. When occupations are placed on this list, UK employers have fewer restrictions for recruiting candidates directly from overseas; specifically from outside the EU. They would no longer need to complete a residency test, which involves demonstrating that a search for suitable candidates within the UK in the first instance has been unsuccessful.

They recommended that employers hiring skilled workers from outside the European Union should have to pay £1,000 surcharge per head in January 2016 as an incentive to train more British staff.{{cite news|title=Charge employers £1,000 for every non-EU migrant worker, say Government advisers|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/12107524/Charge-employers-1000-for-every-non-EU-migrant-worker-says-Migration-Advisory-Committee.html|accessdate=2 May 2016|publisher=Daily Telegraph|date=19 Jan 2016}}

The Committee produced a report in 2016 in which they heavily criticised the Department of Health, Health Education England and NHS trusts for not recognising obvious warning signs over a number of years, and "reluctantly" agreed to keep nursing on the list of shortage occupations.{{cite news|title='Desire to save money' caused NHS nursing shortage says damning report|url=http://www.hsj.co.uk/topics/workforce/desire-to-save-money-caused-nhs-nursing-shortage-says-damning-report/7003565.article|accessdate=2 May 2016|publisher=Health Service Journal|date=24 March 2016}}

It produced a report on seasonal labour in horticulture after the abolition of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme.{{cite news|title=Growers fear for agriculture’s future over seasonal worker recruitment problems|url=http://www.kentnews.co.uk/news/growers_fear_for_agriculture_s_future_over_seasonal_worker_recruitment_problems_1_4516248|accessdate=2 May 2016|publisher=Kent News|date=1 May 2016}}

The changes to the immigration rules in 2012, which affect the settlement of non-European economic area workers with tier II visas earning less than £35,000 were based on the recommendations of the committee.{{cite news|title=India consistently raising visa issue with the UK|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/visa-and-immigration/india-consistently-raising-visa-issue-with-the-uk-nirmala-sitharaman/articleshow/52075220.cms|accessdate=2 May 2016|publisher=The Economic Times|date=2 May 2016}}