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KPMG has withdrawn job offers from some foreign graduates in the UK after the government tightened visa rules for foreign workers to curb record immigration.
The Big Four company, one of the largest employers of graduates in the UK, told affected new employees this week that their offers had been withdrawn, citing the government’s decision to increase the minimum salary required for the Financing a skilled worker visa in the UK is required according to documents obtained by the Financial Times.
KPMG said the changes to eligibility criteria had “unfortunately impacted some of our graduate programs that were previously eligible for funding under the skilled worker visa category,” the documents said. The company declined to comment on how many offers were withdrawn.
The decision highlights how the UK service industry is struggling with stricter rules on hiring foreign workers. This comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government is taking an increasingly tough approach to immigration policy ahead of the general election, which his Conservative party is expected to lose.
The government announced in January that it would increase the salary threshold for skilled workers from £26,200 to £38,700 and for those under 26 to £30,960 from April.
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Depending on the region and business area, the Big Four – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – typically pay new students in the UK between £25,000 and £35,000, meaning they will be directly affected by the new visa rules.
With the exception of junior actuaries, KPMG has stopped employing foreign graduates requiring skilled worker visas outside of London due to changes to licensing requirements.
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Graduates whose offers were withdrawn were told they would not be able to defer their places to 2025. They could apply to transfer to another graduate program this year, but only if applications are still open on the company’s website and “the position…” is eligible for funding.”
KPMG, which hired 1,400 graduates and trainees last year, will fill the now vacant graduate positions with people eligible to work in the U.K., according to a person familiar with the matter.
Tom Pursglove, the legal migration minister, said in January that the immigration changes, which also included new restrictions on carers bringing relatives to the UK, would “tackle the inherent injustice of a system that, if left untouched, would reward employers.” , who are trying to do this.” “Recruit cheap labor from abroad at the expense of British workers.”
KPMG declined to comment.
Separately, the Big Four company said it would begin hiring more former prisoners after a two-year process it described as “very positive.”
Additional reporting by Amy Borrett in London