Stone King Partner featured in Vet Times piece on impact of immigration reforms on profession

With vets one of the professions removed from the government’s Shortage Occupation List, Stone King lawyer Julie Moktadir has explained what it could mean for the profession in trade publication Vet Times.

Julie, Head of Immigration at Stone King, spoke to the trade publication ahead of government reforms coming into effect in April 2024 targeted at reducing legal immigration. 

“The five-point immigration plan has been introduced to reduce net migration figures but could potentially add pressure to vet practices already struggling to fill vacancies – after all, sick animals can’t wait for care”, Julie said.

“The 48% salary rise from £26,200 to £38,700 comes into force on 4 April and will inevitably rule out some overseas vets from being recruited on a Skilled Worker Visa”.

Discussing routes that veterinary practices should consider in response to these challenges Julie added: “I would suggest that veterinary practices proceed to sponsor immediately if they have appropriate and eligible candidates.

“Once the changes have been introduced, vets will need to be paid above the new salary threshold and therefore this will need to be considered when recruiting both internally and externally from the UK.”

The veterinary profession is just one of a number reportedly struggling to recruit overseas workers before April when the costs increase dramatically.

The British Veterinary Association has previously cited domestic recruitment challenges in the sector in calls for the government to prioritise vets in immigration policy.

Read the full article here.