Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of companies in the (a) digital, (b) arts and (c) sports sectors registered to sponsor immigration visas of any tier with a view to ensuring preparedness in the sector for the new immigration system after the UK leaves the EU.

In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “The UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper, which is due to come into force from January 2021.

We are determined to ensure that the future immigration system is efficient and able to respond to users’ needs, and as proposed in the White Paper, we will reform existing sponsorship arrangements – streamlining, simplifying and minimising bureaucracy.

The Government values the positive contribution made to the UK by the digital, arts and sporting sectors and we want this to continue. We will ensure that the new system continues to support the UK’s thriving cultural and sporting life and will also explore options to support start-up companies in our new, expanding digital technology sector.

The White Paper is the start of a conversation and we hav launched a year-long engagement programme to take the views of a range of stakeholders across the UK, including the digital, arts and sporting sectors.