Migration Advisory Committee minutes, 16 June 2023
Updated 24 May 2024
Migration Advisory Committee
2nd Floor, Peel Building NE
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Minutes for the 164th meeting of the Migration Advisory Committee
Friday 16 June 2023, 11am to 2pm
Hybrid conference
Attending
- Professor Brian Bell
- Professor Dina Kiwan
- Professor Sergi Pardos-Prado
- Dr Madeleine Sumption
- Professor Jo Swaffield
- Della McVay
- Susie Constable
- MAC Secretariat
Agenda item 1 – Welcome and introductions
- Brian Bell opened the meeting and welcomed the attendees.
Agenda item 2 – Home Office, MAC Secretariat and MAC updates; minutes from previous meeting
2. Della McVay provided an update on ONS migration statistics and confirmed new rules for students bringing in dependents from September 2024 and new fishing occupations added to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Della confirmed that the Seasonal Worker visa (SWV) will be extended to 2024 and gave an update on the expansion of the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS).
3. Susie Constable provided an update on staffing developments within the secretariat. Susie also stated that the Revealing Reality report on ending of free movement went out yesterday (15 June) and that the call for evidence for the SWV will be live next week.
4. Brian provided an update on a recent meeting with the Swiss ambassador to the UK, SOL RQF 1-2 discussions, MAC recruitment and MAC’s register of outside interests.
Agenda item 3 – SOL: CfE update/chapter drafts 3-4/SOC allocation process
5. A member of the Secretariat gave an overview of the SOL including responses to the Call for Evidence and next steps. Individual chapter leads then gave an update on their respective chapter progress and there was discussion around format in the final report. The MAC website has been updated with the planned published date of Autumn 2023.
Agenda item 4 – Seasonal Worker updates: policy proposals/research/foreign visit
6. A member of the Secretariat gave an update on the SWV review including the Call for Evidence, consideration of policy proposals, plans for qualitative research, access to employee data, and international research plans.
Agenda item 5 – Annual report – student analysis
7. A member of the Secretariat gave an overview of the paper, with discussion focusing on potential for exploring gender inequality and costs. Limitations around sample sizes and system limitations was also discussed.
Agenda item 6 – Geography analysis update
8. A member of the Secretariat gave a presentation of the paper and requested comments/suggestions for areas of further work. The paper’s work on confidence levels was welcomed, whilst future work could consider changes in migrant share over time.
Agenda item 7 – Annual report – social care visa numbers
9. The committee discussed social care visa numbers, with conversation focused on increasing sponsor licence numbers and the potential for exploitation and trafficking. Liaising with other relevant UK government agencies was discussed.
10. Della McVay stated that Home Office (HO) ministers are to comment on the HO response to the MAC’s Adult Social Care report.
Agenda item 8 – AOB
11. None.