Without foreign experts, there is no broadband!

Thousands of foreign workers could soon benefit from a faster process for obtaining work visas in the United Kingdom, in a handout to British telecoms companies. Daily reveals The Times.

“The government has pledged to roll out fiber to 85% of the national territory by 2025, but providers say it will be difficult to achieve this target unless qualified experts are brought in from abroad.”

Last January, the House of Commons’ Public Accounts Committee also expressed doubts about the possibility of acting within the announced deadline, the newspaper notes.

In her letter to the agencies concerned, British Home Secretary Priti Patel explains that her ministry is ready to help them by introducing an immigration system and expedited procedures by providing them with the insights they need.

With many sectors suffering from labor shortages, British employers took the opportunity to once again express their frustration with the process of hiring foreign workers, which is time-consuming and expensive. The number of appointments granted to take the essential English test in the context of a visa application is extremely limited, and waiting lists continue to grow. The whole process can currently take up to nine months and cost an employer £11,000 (€12,700).

Regarding the fiber rollout in particular, the Internet Services Providers Association of Till Sommer was keen to stress that it’s not just about digging trenches: “It’s a big, labor-intensive task, and it’s essential to hire qualified engineers.”

Some British companies started setting up training programs for workers who were recruited two years ago, but despite these recruitments “They will have to bring in several thousand more workers,” Appreciated The Times.