January 2024 Migration Advisory Committee meeting minutes
Updated 21 October 2024
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Migration Advisory Committee
2nd Floor, Peel Building NE
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
171st meeting of Migration Advisory Committee: minutes
Friday 19th January 2024 11:00 to 14:00
In-person conference
Attending
Professor Brian Bell
Professor Dina Kiwan
Professor Sergi Pardos-Prado
Dr Madeleine Sumption
Professor Jo Swaffield
Claire Smith
Holly White
MAC Secretariat
Agenda Item 1 – Welcome and Introductions
1. Brian Bell opened the meeting and welcomed the attendees.
Agenda Item 2 – Home Office, MAC Secretariat and MAC updates, plus minutes from previous meeting
2. Claire Smith provided an update on activity in the Home Office, referencing the recently commissioned Immigration Salary List (ISL) rapid review and the anticipated Graduate route review. The Home Office has engaged across Whitehall on the detail of the commissions, with the commissioning letter expected shortly for the Graduate route review.
3. Holly White provided an update on work within the Secretariat. Holly highlighted that provisional scoping work had taken place in anticipation of the ISL rapid review deadline and the upcoming Graduate route review commission.
4. Brian gave an update on recent meetings, including those with the new Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery, Tom Pursglove MP, and representatives from the Department for Education.
Agenda Item 3 – Immigration Salary List (ISL) Commission
5. A member of the Secretariat provided an overview of ongoing work on the ISL rapid review. This update included a discussion on occupations where further detail is required to inform Committee recommendations.
6. The Committee also identified policy questions for the Government, specifically regarding the policy objectives of the ISL.
Agenda Item 4 – Graduate Route Scoping
7. A member of the Secretariat outlined to Committee a potential approach to the Graduate route review; this included what a Call for Evidence may look like, depending on the scope of the commission.
Agenda Item 5 – Graduate Route Panel
8. A member of the Secretariat outlined a proposal for an engagement panel for the Graduate route review and how this could work in practice.
Agenda Item 6 – Seasonal Work International Comparisons
9. A member of the Secretariat provided a summary of international comparisons work carried out as part of the MAC’s Seasonal Worker visa inquiry. This update included detail on conversations the Secretariat have had with several international partners and an overview of the major similarities and differences in policy and outcomes between these international schemes.
Agenda Item 7 – Seasonal Work Policy Options
10. A member of the Secretariat outlined potential policy recommendations for inclusion in the MAC’s report on the Seasonal Worker visa. Committee members provided comments and exchanged views on these policy suggestions.
Agenda Item 8 – MAC Workplan 2024
11. A member of the Secretariat provided an overview of the MAC’s 2024 workplan and outlined the resourcing needed for the major pieces of work the MAC expects to work on this year, namely a full review of the ISL, the Graduate route review, and the Seasonal Worker Visa inquiry.
Agenda Item 9 – AOB
12. Congratulations were extended to a new permanent appointee within the Secretariat.
Agenda Item 10 – Annual Report Lessons Learned
13. The Committee held a lessons learned discussion regarding the MAC’s 2023 Annual Report.