Employers have been urged to apply for work visas, despite fears that the new immigration cap has made it more difficult to bring in talent from outside the EU.

Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), told delegates at the institute’s ‘Recruitment, Resourcing and Talent Management Conference’ in London this week that the position was better than imagined.

“The number of visas has been undersubscribed,” said Davies. “Perhaps employers have been over cautious. There are more visas available than you might think.

“The government has largely listened to employers’ concerns.” For example, he added, it had “largely exempted” intra-company transfers, which had been a big concern of the IT industry in particular. “Perhaps the message is to go for it and to still apply.”

For more on how the UK’s immigration policies affect employers’ ability to source talent from abroad, see www.recruiter.co.uk ‘The “Cap” on immigration explained’.