SOLT & UK Theatre Respond to Plan to Increase Skilled Worker Visa Salary Threshold

The Skilled Worker visa route enables our members to compete internationally to recruit the most highly skilled professional dancers from across the world, earning the UK dance sector, an essential part of the theatre ecosystem, its world-leading status. The ability to access this global talent pool is vital to maintaining this reputation. The government’s plan to increase the earning threshold for overseas workers by nearly 50% from its current position of £26,200 to £38,700, will have a detrimental impact on our members’ ability to compete with international companies. 

To maintain the high artistic and technical standards that UK and international audiences have come to expect, our members only recruit the most talented and highly trained dancers from a global talent pool. These jobs are hard to fill from the resident labour market because only a limited number of dancers, worldwide, meet the standards of the UK’s leading dance companies. Our members’ world leading status therefore depends on their ability to compete with international dance companies. 

We will be writing to the Home Secretary to raise our concerns this week. 

For further details contact publicaffairs@soltukt.co.uk

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