According to reports, the shadow home secretary, Labour would impose time limits on the hiring of foreign workers in occupations where there is a scarcity of personnel.
According to Yvette Cooper, the party thinks the proposal will encourage businesses to train more British employees.
She proposed that the party will use a reinforced Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which offers the government independent opinion, to advise on proper “timescales” for importing labour.
The Labour frontbencher claimed in an interview that the Tories were in charge of a “huge gap between rhetoric and reality” on immigration.
She told the paper: “It (the MAC) only does very periodic reviews, and we want it to be able to look at not simply which occupations are on the shortage occupation list, but also what would be a sensible timescale.
“How long should they be on the shortage occupation list for?”
It follows Labour’s announcement last week that it will eliminate regulations enabling employers to pay foreign employees 20% less than locals for positions on the list.
One might be paid 80% of the standard going rate in the engineering, IT, and healthcare industries to be eligible for a skilled worker visa.
After statistics indicated record-high levels, Rishi Sunak declared that legal immigration is “too high” and reaffirmed his commitment to fulfilling a 2019 Tory manifesto vow to reduce it.
Businesses, however, are putting pressure on the government to prevent a labour crisis in critical sectors.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has made a public case for reducing immigration, arguing that more Britons should be educated as lorry drivers and seasonal workers to fill demand.
However, the Prime Minister has adopted a more practical stance, informing producers that extra foreign fruit pickers will be permitted entry into the UK if necessary.
