Campaign group Migration Watch says that the new Business Visitor’s visa allows foreign companies to send a new foreign worker to their British partner every six months, preventing the UK firm from hiring a local.

Find out what’s new for migrants as a result of the introduction of tiers 2 and 5 of the points-based system today.

Find out what’s new for sponsors as a result of the introduction of tiers 2 and 5 of the points-based system today.

A cross party group of MPs has warned that the introduction of a points-based immigration system will not stop tens of thousands of non-EU migrants coming to the UK.

Protests against the scheme were held yesterday in Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Liverpool and Sheffield. Campaign group NO2ID and the No Borders Network demonstrated outside the Home Office Immigration Centre in Govan, Glasgow, to highlight the card’s impact.

From today foreign nationals will be issued mandatory identity cards containing their facial image and fingerprints to lock them to one identity and help businesses crack down on illegal working.

David Metcalf, chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, which drew up the UK’s shortage occupations list, insisted that employers finding it hard to recruit staff should make their jobs more attractive by upping the pay on offer instead of relying on migrant workers.