The UK government last week announced plans to block low-skilled workers in order to cut overall immigration from Europe and elsewhere. Under a new post-Brexit points-based immigration system starting January 2021, immigrants to the UK will have to meet certain criteria to qualify for a work visa, including having specific skills, the ability to speak English, and having a job offer with a minimum salary threshold of £25,600 (about $33,300), with only some exceptions.
Read moreNew York Times: “Fewer Immigrants Mean More Jobs? Not So, Economists Say”
The Trump administration last week announced support for a proposed bill aiming to reduce legal immigration in order to “preserve” jobs for Americans and increase wages. In response, leading economists say that such a reduction of legal immigration will not create more American jobs and may even have a negative impact on the economy. Economist Giovanni Peri from the University of California, Davis, for example, believes that the average American worker is likely to lose rather than gain anything from such a reduction in immigration. The administration says it still wants foreign high-skilled workers to come to the US, and the cuts target low-skilled immigrants.
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