英、技能労働者ビザの最低年収引き上げへ　合法移民の流入抑制で

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】英政府は４日、合法的な移民の流入が記録的な数に達する中、一連の流入抑制策案を発表した。これには、技能労働者ビザ（査証）発給条件にある最低年収額の引き上げも含まれている。（写真はジェームス・クレバリー英内相。ロンドンで）
　来年予定されている総選挙では移民問題が大きな争点になるとみられ、与党・保守党よりも野党・労働党が有利との見方が強い。
　リシ・スナク首相はこれまでも、移民の流入数を抑制すると約束していた。だが英国立統計局が先月発表したデータによると、２０２２年の移民の純流入数は７４万５０００人で過去最高となった。
　ジェームス・クレバリー内相は、対策案は来年の早い段階で施行するとし、これにより流入する移民は３０万人減少すると説明した。
　案には、技能労働者ビザの条件として定められている、企業が支払う最低年収を現在の２万６２００ポンド（約４９０万円）から約３０％引き上げ、３万８７００ポンド（約７２０万円）とすることが盛り込まれている。
　医療福祉分野は、英国の欧州連合（ＥＵ）離脱（ブレグジット）の影響もあり、人手不足にあるため、今回の対策案の対象から外された。ただし、扶養家族の帯同は制限される。
　クレバリー氏はまた、移民の国民保健サービスの付加料を６６％引き上げ、１０３５ポンド（約１９万円）とする計画についても再度言及した。
　しかし付加料については、国民保険料は源泉徴収されるため、移民労働者は二重請求されていることになると批判する声もある。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/12/05-16:57）

Britain's embattled Conservative government unveiled a raft of measures Monday aimed at cracking down on record levels of regular migration, including raising the minimum salary threshold for a skilled worker visa.
Immigration is set to be a key issue in a general election expected next year, which the main opposition Labour party is currently favoured to win.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to reduce new arrivals but statistics released last month showed that net migration to Britain hit a high in 2022.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people who arrived in Britain last year was 745,000 more than the number who left.
Interior minister James Cleverly said his plan would result in 300,000 fewer people coming to the UK in the coming years.
Enough is enough, the home secretary told parliament as he laid out his proposals, which will take effect early next year.
Cleverly said skilled foreign workers wanting a UK visa would have to earn £38,700 ($48,860), up from £26,200 -- just over a third more.
He exempted health and social care workers, where there are currently staff shortages, in part because of Brexit, but said they would be prevented from bringing family dependents.
Cleverly raised the minimum income for family visas and confirmed restrictions on international students bringing dependents.
He also reaffirmed that Britain would increase the surcharge that migrants pay to access the state-run National Health Service (NHS) by 66 percent, to £1,035.
Critics have said this effectively imposes a double charge on migrant workers, as employees have National Insurance charges, which goes towards covering healthcare, deducted from wages at source.
Cleverly added that the government would reform the shortage occupation list, which details jobs for which employers are not able to find enough British workers.
The Conservatives won a landslide under the leadership of Boris Johnson at the last election in 2019, largely on a promise to bring net migration numbers down.
The party has repeatedly promised that leaving the European Union, which ended the free movement of people from member states, would allow the UK to take back control of its borders.
But regular migration has soared since Britain formally left the EU in January 2020. In 2021, net migration was 488,000.
The ONS data piled pressure on Sunak from his own MPs to take action.
The Tories, in power since 2010, lag well behind centre-left Labour in opinion polls ahead of an election that must be held by January 2025.