Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the exemption for PhD-level roles from visa caps announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Spring Statement includes exemption from the minimum salary requirement.

In the Spring Statement, my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that PhD-level occupations will be exempt from the Tier 2 (General) visa cap. The change will not alter the salary requirements for these roles.

Salary thresholds in Tier 2 are designed to ensure that the resident labour market is not undercut by overseas workers and that migrants are paid a salary that is fair and reflects the labour market.