29th Nov 2010 - 00:00
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The British Hospitality Association has expressed deep concern over the new rules on immigration, which come into effect in April next year.
Under the Home Office's cap on migration, non-European specialised chefs will be effectively disbarred from entering Britain as skilled workers in specialised restaurants. In a letter to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, BHA's chief executive, Ufi Ibrahim, says that the announcement that only graduate occupations will be allowed in Tier 2 makes it unlikely that any of these essential chefs will be able to come to work in the UK. "This is potentially disastrous for those restaurant businesses offering quality specialised ethnic dishes of Asian and Oriental origin. Some may have to close, with the loss of UK residents' jobs. "In the twelve months to this June, 2,412 Certificates of Sponsorship were issued for chefs, essentially for specialised Asian and Oriental chefs whose lifetime skills cannot be replicated in the EEA workforce. "These chefs have been accepted as meeting the existing NVQ3 level under the points based system, but would not be regarded as having graduate status." Ms Ibrahim says that, significantly, the new rule would prevent the sector from creating jobs. "For every specialised chef a further 11 other jobs are created but these will be lost if this rule is introduced." she says. Ranjit Mathrani, chairman of Masala World, describes the issue as of great significance for all restaurants specialising in quality non-European cuisines such as Japanese, Thai and Chinese. "The new policy, if not modified, will result in the destruction of our business. A sophisticated taste palate attuned to the flavours, textures, raw materials, smells, and flavourings of the particular cuisine can only be acquired after many years intense familiarity with the particular cuisine, generally starting from a very early age. "A formal graduate level educational qualification is manifestly a misguided and irrelevant criterion for this. Very few top restaurant British chefs would meet this criterion." The BHA is seeking a meeting with the Home Office to discuss the implications of the new ruling.