Any immigration cap would be an “empty political gesture” if intra-company transfers are excluded from the cap, according to Marilyn Davidson (left), director of the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo).

The Daily Mail reports that yesterday David Cameron told MPs intra-company transfers should not be included in the cap.

Davidson says: “About 80% of non-EU IT workers come to the UK on intra-company transfers. If intra-company transfers are excluded, the immigration cap will largely be an empty political gesture that will do little to restrict the influx of non-EU IT workers to the UK.”

“APSCo has written to the Migration Advisory Committee to call for intra-company transfers to be included within the immigration cap. A reduction in the number of intra-company transfers would be compensated for by increased employment within the existing pool of resident IT professionals.

“We need full transparency on the pay and terms of conditions of workers entering the UK via the ICT route. The current system is far too opaque and is open to abuse.

“Intra-company transfers are used because it is easy and saves on employment costs. Employers don’t want the expense of hiring UK or EU nationals. The use of intra-company transfers in the IT sector often has little to do with lack of skills in the UK workforce.”