NAO report on Skilled Worker Visas
The National Audit Office have published a report reviewing the functioning of the Skilled Worker route.
Their key findings include:
- Changes to the Skilled Worker visa route have not always been based on a full assessment of potential impacts
- The Home Office does not have a full understanding of how the Skilled Worker visa route is operating.
- The Home Office and other departments have not always collaborated effectively on the role that immigration plays across different sectors.
- Since January 2023, the Home Office has processed 94% of ‘straightforward’ applications within its service standards but cases which require further information from the applicant are excluded from this metric.
- Applicants are generally satisfied with visa processing, but insufficient management information limits the Home Office’s understanding of the service
- The Home Office is making progress in modernising the Skilled Worker visa system although this is taking longer than expected
- The Home Office was initially slow to respond to the risks associated with the Skilled Worker visa route but has strengthened its approach.
- The Home Office does not have all the data it needs to address non-compliance risks.
- The government’s approach to tackling the risks of migrant exploitation is not joined up.
The NAO recommends, amongst other things, that the Home Office should work with other agencies to provide a more joined-up approach to tackling exploitation, strengthening their approach to non-compliance by reviewing sector-specific risks; and seeking to improve efficiency and customer service. The NAO also recommends that the Department of Health and Social Care lead the social care sector in addressing exploitation risks as there is insufficient clarity on respective responsibilities at present.
