Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Border Force on the potential implications of extending the Offshore wind workers Immigration Rules concession 2017 from 2 July 2022 to 31 October 2022.

We regularly review all policies and concessions, engaging with Home Office operational commands and stakeholders during this process.

On 22 June 2022 we announced the ‘Offshore wind workers Immigration Rules concession 2017’ will be extended for a final time, ending in line with the implementation of Section 43 and Schedule 6 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. Leave to enter under the terms of the concession will not be granted beyond 31 October 2022.

We expect employers to use the period between July and October to recruit labour from the resident workforce, or should they wish to continue employing overseas labour, to obtain a Home Office sponsor licence and secure the necessary permission to work for all their foreign workers.