No extension of migrant agricultural workers scheme, says government
12 September 2013
The government has confirmed that there will be no extensions to the Season Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), which is due to close at the end of this year, and currently allows the sector to take on up to 21,250 additional migrant workers a year for up to six-months at a time.
Thu, 12 Sep 2013The government has confirmed that there will be no extensions to the Season Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), which is due to close at the end of this year, and currently allows the sector to take on up to 21,250 additional migrant workers a year for up to six-months at a time.
SAWS’s current 21,250 places are for Bulgarian and Romanian workers. Despite the two countries being EU members already, they do not yet have freedom to work in the UK in line with other EU citizens – although these restrictions lift at the end of this year.
A Home Office statement says that “our view is that, at a time of unemployment in the UK and the European Union, there should be sufficient workers from within those labour markets to meet the needs”.
UK migration policy also allows 20,700 non-European Economic Area (EEA) workers designated as “high skilled” into the UK annually.
SAWS’s current 21,250 places are for Bulgarian and Romanian workers. Despite the two countries being EU members already, they do not yet have freedom to work in the UK in line with other EU citizens – although these restrictions lift at the end of this year.
A Home Office statement says that “our view is that, at a time of unemployment in the UK and the European Union, there should be sufficient workers from within those labour markets to meet the needs”.
UK migration policy also allows 20,700 non-European Economic Area (EEA) workers designated as “high skilled” into the UK annually.
