Last-minute changes to immigration laws will stop UK restaurants from employing chefs from non-EU countries, M&C Report understands.
A planned government U-turn comes just six months after it was decided that chefs could be included on the shortage occupation list, like social workers and teachers, and therefore employed by operators.
However, it is now believed that skilled chefs from outside the EU could be removed from a ‘shortage occupation’ list as the government hopes to protect jobs for UK workers.
Any change to the current status quo would have a dramatic impact on the nation’s Indian, Chinese and Thai restaurants that employ specialist chefs from abroad.
M&C Report understands that several restaurant operators are in discussions with the government about any changes to the current legislation, amid significant concern over the potential impact.
Busaba Eathai, the Thai casual dining concept founded by Alan Yau, is one of the chains lobbying against such changes. Stephen Gee, chairman, said: “We are ready to roll out Busaba and we will be stifled by the fact that we are not able to bring in chefs.
“For Busaba we need skilled Thai chefs for all of the restaurants and we can’t train them in the UK. We are doing everything we can to make the government understand that if we can’t open these restaurants it will also result in less jobs for UK residents.”
The Home Office said that the Migration Advisory Committee is currently reviewing the list, which includes skilled chefs as well as several other occupations, and would report their recommendations to the government this month, with the final decision to be published in April.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “In September 2008, when the last shortage occupation list was published, the government asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the evidence in relation to the following occupations: social workers; skilled chefs; senior care workers; qualified town planners; and teachers.
“The MAC has worked closely with employers and others within those sectors to ensure they have the evidence they need to review whether it is appropriate to include these occupations on the next shortage occupation list.”
