Transparency data

Migration Advisory Committee minutes, 17 November 2023

Updated 24 May 2024

Migration Advisory Committee 
2nd Floor, Peel Building NE 
2 Marsham Street 
London 
SW1P 4DF 

169th meeting of the Migration Advisory Committee.

Friday 17th November 2023 09:00 to 11:30

Hybrid conference

Attending

• Professor Brian Bell
• Professor Dina Kiwan
• Professor Sergi Pardos-Prado
• Dr Madeleine Sumption
• Professor Jo Swaffield
• Home Office representative (covering for 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

2. The Home Office representative provided an update on Home Office business, referencing the recent change in Home Secretary, and some other changes in the ministerial team. Negotiations are ongoing with India for a trade agreement. Actions are ongoing to consider the Youth Mobility Scheme offer. The Home Office are considering the MAC’s recommendations from the recent Review of the Shortage Occupation List.

3. Holly White provided an update on staffing within the Secretariat. An immigrant downgrading paper was recently published on the MAC’s website. Lots of work is ongoing on the MAC’s Annual Report ahead of publication in December. Work is ongoing within the migrant pathways project with the project team currently focussing on accessing relevant data. Site visits are ongoing as part of the MAC’s Seasonal Workers inquiry with interviews also being arranged with workers from Kyrgyzstan. The Secretariat is looking to get an update from ONS on the reliability of Labour Force Survey (LFS) microdata and will be meeting with the relevant ONS team in the near future. A data stocktake and prioritisation activity will be taking place within the Secretariat in the new year.

4. Brian provided an overview of recent meetings he has attended, including an introductory meeting with the Immigration Minister, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP. Brian also recently met with the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME) Margaret Beels to primarily discuss the social care sector.

5. Sergi mentioned that Scottish Government has published a series of papers on what an independent Scotland would look like, including a paper on migration to Scotland.

Agenda item 3 – Annual Report timings and key dates

6. A member of the Secretariat provided an update on key timings and date ahead of publication of the MAC’s Annual Report in December.

Agenda item 4 – Governance Report

7. A member of the Secretariat provided a run through of the Governance Report which gets published alongside the MAC’s 2023 Annual Report. Committee provided comment on the structure and content of this report.

Agenda item 5 – Annual Report: Net migration chapter

8. A member of the Secretariat provided a near final draft of a chapter on net migration which will form part of the MAC’s 2023 Annual Report. Committee provided comment on the content and new additions to this chapter and made decisions on sections that should be removed or reframed.

Agenda item 6 – Annual Report: Health and care chapter

9. A member of the Secretariat provided a near final draft of a chapter on health and social care which will form part of the MAC’s 2023 Annual Report. Committee provided comment on the content and new additions to this chapter and made decisions on sections that should be removed or reframed.

Agenda item 7 – Annual Report: International students chapter

10. A member of the Secretariat provided a near final draft of a chapter on international students which will form part of the MAC’s 2023 Annual Report. Committee provided comment on the content and new additions to this chapter and made decisions on sections that should be removed or reframed.

Agenda item 8 – AOB

11. None.