MAC Report Suggestions - Limits on Tier1 & Tier2

Should the Tier 1 and 2 limits apply to out-of-country migration only, or also cover in-country migrants switching from other routes or extending within a particular route? On the basis of both practical and economic considerations,
we decide to exclude in-country applicants from our limits for 2011/12.

Our best estimate is that the Government objective to reduce net
migration to the tens of thousands over the lifetime of this Parliament implies a reduction of between 6,300 and 12,600 Tier 1 and 2 visas to be issued in 2011/12.

- The total required limit for Tier 1 General and Tier 2 combined in 2011/12 is therefore between 37,400 and 43,700.

One of the criteria we applied, when we reviewed Tiers 1 and 2 of the PBS for the former Government in 2009, was to ensure better identifcation and attraction of migrants who have the most to contribute to the UK. If there is a limit on work-related migration from outside the EEA, and that
ceiling is reached, any migrant to the UK displaces another who would otherwise have been able to come. This means that identifying and attracting the migrants who have the most to contribute to the UK
becomes even more critical.