Thousands of foreign workers could soon benefit from a fast-track procedure to obtain a work visa in the United Kingdom in order to lend a hand to British telecom companies, reveals the daily The Times.
“The government has committed to deploying fiber to 85% of the national territory by 2025, but providers say it will be difficult to achieve this goal unless qualified professionals are brought in from abroad.”
As early as last January, the public accounts committee of the House of Commons had also expressed doubts about the feasibility of the operation within the announced deadlines, specifies the newspaper.
In a letter she has just sent to the companies involved, Priti Patel, the British Home Secretary, explains that her ministry is ready to help them by providing them with the necessary insights into the immigration system and implementing introduce accelerated procedures.
While several sectors of activity are suffering from the shortage of labour, British bosses have taken the opportunity to once again express their frustration with the process of recruiting foreign workers, which is both time-consuming and costly. The number of appointments granted to take the essential English test in the context of a visa application remains notably too limited, the waiting lists are constantly growing. The entire procedure can currently take up to nine months and cost the employer 11,000 pounds (12,700 euros).
Regarding fiber rollout specifically, Till Sommer of the Internet Services Provider Association was keen to stress that it’s not just about digging trenches: “It’s a huge, labor-intensive task, and recruiting qualified engineers is essential.”
Some British companies have also begun to set up training programs for workers recruited two years ago, but despite these hirings “it is likely that they will have to bring in several thousand more workers”, valued The Times.