Architects are urging the government to rethink the introduction of new rates to sponsor overseas skilled workers in their sector.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper is yet to respond to a letter, sent on behalf of industry workers, that highlights the unaffordable costs of the rule changes.

In December 2024, law firms Bates Wells and Kingsley Napley wrote to the minister calling for architects to be returned to the Immigration Salary List (previously known as the Shortage Occupation List) and for the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the effect of last year’s sponsored worker visa ruling on the sector.

Architects believe the minimum salary threshold changes introduced in April will hinder their ability to hire and retain top talent, thereby hampering the growth of the sector which they say also undermines the government’s UK economic growth priority.

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The letter explained the higher minimum pay rate of £45,900 annually for sponsored workers to be eligible for a visa isn’t in line with typical architecture salary bands.

Both law firms surveyed the HR Architects Forum and the Architecture HR Network (AHRN), which has around 165 UK member firms. Around 70 responded with feedback including that the threshold is unrealistic and well above the average of £37,523 they pay their architects.

Nearly two-thirds (62%) said they are unable to meet the new pay rates required to hire overseas professionals, yet 91% reported that they have needed to sponsor them in the past.

Marcia Longdon, immigration partner at Kingsley Napley, said: “Our architect clients tell us that the current salary threshold to sponsor migrant recruits is unworkable. Last year’s changes are severely restricting firms’ ability to employ overseas talent below a senior level and this is now having a knock-on effect on their ability to staff projects and progress workflow. The £45k salary threshold is simply too high for this sector.”

Around three in four (77%) survey respondents expect to cut their migrant workforce because of the April 2024 rule changes, while half (50%) want sponsored worker salary bands reduced for the sector to allow the future recruitment of foreign workers.

Chetal Patel, head of immigration at Bates Wells, said: “The changes to salary thresholds are having a damaging effect on the architect sector, making it harder for firms to access top talent needed for growth. We urge the government to align with its own industrial strategy and allow architects back on the Immigration Salary List, commissioning the MAC to review the industry thoroughly.

“Professional and business services are one of the eight sectors that the Government wants to help fuel the UK economy. We need to unlock growth as it will act as a catalyst for the architect sector to thrive in the business environment.”

Camilla Rich, trustee and HR manager of Make Architects, explained the business had seen a significant impact since the rule changes, in terms of higher salary costs and also the knock-on effect it has on other visa costs, sponsoring qualifications, and ensuring fair pay across all salary bands.

She said: “All of this means recruiting from overseas has become much more difficult, restricting our ability to hire the best talent for the job, particularly at graduate level. This is detrimental to our diversity goals, could affect our projects that require people who are fluent in other languages and have local understanding, and ultimately makes our ability to grow harder.

“Removing architects from the Immigration Salary List without any consultation with the sector meant that we had to adapt to the changes quickly, which has left our currently sponsored employees unsure how they will be able to stay in the UK after their current visas expire. Seeing the sector return to the ISL would help us resolve some of these issues almost immediately.”

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