Migration Advisory Committee minutes, 18 August 2023
Updated 8 December 2023
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Migration Advisory Committee
2nd Floor, Peel Building NE
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Minutes of the 166th meeting of the Migration Advisory Committee.
Friday 18 August 2023, 10am to 12:30pm
Hybrid conference
Attending
- Professor Brian Bell
- Professor Dina Kiwan
- Professor Sergi Pardos-Prado
- Professor Madeleine Sumption
- Professor Jo Swaffield
- Della McVay
- 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. Della McVay provided an update on Home Office business. Della highlighted that immigration rules changes were laid in parliament in July. Della also provided updates on student visas, net migration, and international agreements with Canada, Andorra and Uruguay. Programme pressures emerging from tackling illegal migration were highlighted. The Department for Education’s interest in the SOL from the perspective of their skills and productivity goals were also flagged.
3. Holly White provided an update on staffing and work priorities within the Secretariat.
4. Brian provided an update on recent meetings with the Rt Hon John Eustice MP regarding Youth Mobility Schemes, and with UNISON regarding exploitation in the social care visa route. Brian also met with Steve Smith, the government’s international education champion.
Agenda item 3 – SOL – Updated chapter 4 and EDI CfE response
5. Members of the Secretariat provided an update on the policy chapter being included in the MAC’s SOL report. The Committee were asked for comment and sign off on the changes made.
Agenda item 4 – SOL – Chapter 1 Skeleton
6. A member of the Secretariat provided a skeleton overview what will be Chapter 1 of the MAC’s SOL report and asked the committee for input.
Agenda item 5 – Overview of Group A and Group B recommendations and stats, recommendations and justifications paper, ‘Do not add’ lines to take and occupation template examples.
7. A member of the Secretariat led a discussion with the committee on the content and structure of the occupation templates for inclusion in the final SOL report.
Agenda item 6 – 2024 Work programme
8. Holly and the Committee discussed a paper which outlined proposed projects for the Committee and Secretariat to undertake in 2024.
Agenda item 7 – Policy questions and themes emerging in Seasonal Work Visa project.
9. A member of the Secretariat led a discussion of the policy proposals being considered as part of the MAC’s Seasonal Worker visa inquiry.
Agenda item 8 – AOB
10. None.