UK extends emergency visa scheme to help abate labour shortages amid fuel crisis

In yet another attempt to save Christmas, the UK government on Friday, 1 October, announced that it has extended the emergency visas to help abate labour shortages that have led to empty shelves and long petrol station queues. According to The Guardian, Boris Johnson’s administration said that the new immigration measure will now allow 300 fuel drivers to arrive immediately and stay until the end of March. The new rule will also allow 100 army drivers to take to the roads from Monday, and additionally, around 4,700 food haulage drive will also be allowed to arrive from late October and leave by the end of February. 

Under the latest measures, the UK government has extended some temporary visa schemes beyond Christmas Eve and into the new year. The move is designed to tackle the chronic disruption to supply chains which have affected a range of industries in recent months. Now, from Monday, almost 200 military personnel, including 100 drivers, will be deployed in a bid to provide temporary support, relieve pressure on petrol stations and address the shortage of HGV drivers. 

The government said that the military personnel are being trained at hauliers sites, and from next week they will be on the road delivering fuel supplies. It added that fuel haulage drivers from abroad will also be allowed to work in the United Kingdom immediately, and will not be subjected to previous barriers.

In a statement, the Cabinet Office said that hauliers will find licensed drivers to recruit and will submit applications to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy which will endorse applicants with the necessary licence and a contract to work as a fuel driver. Additionally, the UK government even confirmed that 5,500 poultry workers will arrive from late October and will be allowed to stay until the end of this year. 

UK staff shortage

The latest move comes as shortage of lorry drivers has caused problems for a range of industries in recent months. Some fuel deliveries have also been reportedly affected, leading to huge queues at petrol stations. However, now the UK government announced the scheme designed to tackle a widespread shortage of lorry drivers caused by a combination of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government, on the other hand, has insisted that it will return to its commitment to training UK workers and no longer rely upon bringing in foreign staff. Meanwhile, other measures designed to ease the crisis include the training of up to 4,000 people as new HGV drivers. Moreover, the Department for Education is investing up to £10m to create free “skills boot camps” to train up to 3,000 of the new HGV drivers. The government said that another 1,000 would also be trained through local courses funded by the government’s adult education budget. 

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