The UK House of Commons Home Affairs Committee held a public evidence session on 4 November with Professor Brian Bell and Dr Madeleine Sumption of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to probe the government’s strategy for reducing net migration after provisional 2024 figures halved to 431,000. Although a domestic political story, the hearing matters to Australian employers transferring staff under the Skilled Worker and Global Business Mobility routes.
MPs questioned whether salary thresholds should rise again in 2026 and signalled support for stricter dependants rules—changes that could increase assignment costs for Australian corporates with UK operations. Committee members also pressed MAC on introducing sector-specific caps, citing the surge in health-and-care visas popular with Australian nurses.
![UK Parliament Grills Migration Advisors as Net-Migration Falls—Implications for Australian Firms]()
For individual Australians, the MAC reiterated that the Youth Mobility Scheme—known locally as the ‘working-holiday’ visa—remains uncapped but could face a shorter two-year limit if overall numbers fail to fall. Any such tightening would erode one of the most popular pathways for young Aussies seeking UK experience.
The Committee’s recommendations feed into a late-2025 Home Office White Paper; businesses have a narrow window to submit evidence. Mobility managers should model cost scenarios and review sponsorship pipelines now.
MPs questioned whether salary thresholds should rise again in 2026 and signalled support for stricter dependants rules—changes that could increase assignment costs for Australian corporates with UK operations. Committee members also pressed MAC on introducing sector-specific caps, citing the surge in health-and-care visas popular with Australian nurses.
For individual Australians, the MAC reiterated that the Youth Mobility Scheme—known locally as the ‘working-holiday’ visa—remains uncapped but could face a shorter two-year limit if overall numbers fail to fall. Any such tightening would erode one of the most popular pathways for young Aussies seeking UK experience.
The Committee’s recommendations feed into a late-2025 Home Office White Paper; businesses have a narrow window to submit evidence. Mobility managers should model cost scenarios and review sponsorship pipelines now.
