Fury as thousands of work visas given to migrants on low wages that undercut British staff

Last year 5,100 such visas were awarded under the Government’s shortage occupation scheme. But the policy was slammed by Labour, which said it was a result of a failure to train British workers to fill the roles.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Conservatives chaotic approach to immigration has led to deep skills shortages, a doubling of work visas, and unfair undercutting for thousands of people.”

Skilled worker visas are usually awarded only to people who have been offered jobs paying at least the average UK salary for similar positions, as calculated by the Office for National Statistics, in order to stop wages being driven down by firms importing cheap labour.

However, the rules are relaxed for positions where there is a shortage of qualified people in the UK, with employers allowed to pay only 80% of the going rate.

Labour says it would scrap the policy and instead introduce more training for jobs on the shortage list. A government spokesman said: “We work closely with the Migration Advisory Committee to ensure our Points-Based System delivers for the UK and works in the best interests of the economy, by prioritising the skills and talent we need and encouraging long-term investment in the domestic workforce.

We are also supporting more adults to upskill or retrain for free, plugging skills shortages in key sectors. “We are considering the findings of the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of the shortage occupation list and will respond in due course.”