Learn how 1,800 properties will have their flood risk cut at the drop-in exhibition on 28 June 2019.

Learn how 1,800 properties will have their flood risk cut at the drop-in exhibition on 28 June 2019.

The Home Office has today (Monday 17 June) published membership details of 5 advisory groups, established to deepen engagement between government and industry as the future skills-based immigration system is developed.

The department is undertaking a year-long engagement programme to hear the views of communities and gather expertise from businesses across the UK.

Over 100 events have been held since the start of the year, reaching almost 1,500 stakeholders.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said:

I’ve already met hundreds of people and businesses to make sure our future immigration system works for every part of the UK.

Our advisory groups will provide invaluable expertise and representing the views of businesses, employers and vulnerable people.

We are delivering on the referendum result by ending free movement and establishing a system to designed to attract talent to the UK, not based on where people are from.

Matthew Fell, CBI Chief UK Policy Director, said:

As we leave the EU, getting the new immigration system right is a high priority for businesses.

Employers have welcomed this opportunity to provide extra evidence to the Home Office, to help design an immigration system which both restores public confidence and meets the needs of our economy.

These sessions have been frank and constructive, and we hope the detailed feedback provided is reflected in final details of the new system.

The 5 groups are:

• Employers’ Advisory Group – consisting of groups representing major employers across the UK

• Education Sector Advisory Group – made up of groups representing universities and colleges

• Crossing the Border Advisory Group – composed of organisations representing the aviation, maritime and rail sectors

• National Advisory Group – consisting of groups representing organisations from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales

• Vulnerability Advisory Group – made up of organisations representing vulnerable individuals

The new immigration and borders system will be implemented in a phased approach from 2021.

Proposals include scrapping the annual cap on the number of visas issued for skilled workers and widening the skills threshold to include people with qualifications equivalent of A levels.

The new skills-based system will also remove the resident labour market test for high-skilled workers and introduce a route for temporary workers at any skills from low-risk countries, allowing them to come to the UK for a maximum of 12 months.

Full details are available in the government’s White Paper.

UK aid to provide vital aid to millions of Afghans, including food, water and medical assistance.

A significant new UK aid package of urgent food, water and medical help, including polio vaccinations for children, will save millions of lives in Afghanistan, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart announced today (Monday, 17 June).

An estimated 13.5 million Afghans are in need of humanitarian aid to make sure there is enough food for themselves and their families.

Mr Stewart announced the UK aid package during a visit of the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani to London. President Ghani also met with Prime Minister Theresa May.

International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, who met President Ghani this morning, said:

The humanitarian need in Afghanistan is severe. Fighting and extreme drought have left millions of people hungry and desperately seeking medical help, which is why UK aid is responding with life-saving food, water and basic healthcare, including polio vaccinations.

This UK aid package is a significant contribution to the international response in Afghanistan. We are working closely with the Afghan government in response to increasing needs. But the UK cannot tackle this crisis alone, and other donors must now step up and follow our lead.

In addition to the UK aid package of life-saving assistance including food, water, and healthcare for over five million people, the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID) emergency humanitarian support will:

• help over 400,000 people to have appointments with doctors or nurses
• vaccinate over 140,000 children under the age of five against polio
• provide support and training for individuals and families to protect themselves from climate shocks and conflict

The UK aid funding will support the UN’s Pooled Fund for Afghanistan for humanitarian emergencies, help Afghans deal with the impact of conflict through providing prosthetics and orthotics for over 50,000 people with disabilities, and will aim to build the capacity of Afghan NGOs to take a greater role in the response.

In addition to meeting the needs of Afghans who have been displaced to other parts of the country, the UK aid support will target over a quarter of a million Afghans who have returned from neighbouring countries and who are in urgent need of assistance.

Notes to editors

• Today’s funding of £170 million, will provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan over five years. This will be delivered through a mix of partners from the UN, international NGOs, and Afghan NGOs.