Points-based immigration to impact spa recruitment

The Government’s plans to introduce a points-based immigration system from January 2021 will make it harder for therapists to enter the UK, placing more pressure on the already difficult spa and salon recruitment situation, warns the National Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF).

The plans categorise the work of beauty and aesthetic therapists as “low-skilled”, owing to the often relatively low wages earned by professionals in these fields.

This means that potential spa and salon staff wanting to live and work in the UK from January next year may struggle to earn the 70 “points” needed to qualify for a visa.

The mandatory criteria for earning points are:

• A job offer with a “sponsoring” company – 20 points

• Job at appropriate skill level – 20 points

• Ability to speak English at the required level – 10 points After these criteria have been met, other criteria that allow applicants to top up points include:

• Minimum salary of £20,480, but to earn points the salary must be £23,040 to £25,599 (10 points) or more than £25,600 (20 points)

• Job on the Government’s jobs shortage list – 20 points. (The list currently includes biochemists, civil engineers, medical practitioners and architects, among others)

• A doctorate-level degree (PhD) in a subject relevant to the job (10 points) or in a science, technology, engineering or maths subject (20 points).

Hilary Hall, NHBF chief executive, commented, “Under the new system, it’s unlikely that many beauty applicants will meet the points-based system criteria.

“Salons looking to fill vacancies from overseas should make those appointments before December 31, 2020, as the new criteria will make it much harder to recruit foreign workers, whether they are EU or non-EU citizens.”