Immigration review should help to ease staff shortage

Black and Asian restaurant owners facing a severe shortage of qualified chefs could be on the brink of getting changes to immigration laws to make recruitment easier.

The Home Office has pledged a review of section eight of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, which makes employers responsible for ensuring there are no illegal immigrants among their staff.

And ministers are looking into changes to work permit rules made by the last government.

Under the 1991 changes, which came into effect in 1995/96, permits had to be renewed every three years instead of every four. And, for the first time, employers had to prove that they had advertised the job in the UK during the three years and that nobody else could fill the post.

The issue will be discussed at the Labour Party conference, which begins on 29 September.

Asian restaurateurs say they are experiencing the worst shortages ever.

Manish Sood, who serves on the European Catering Association's executive committee, said some restaurants might have to close because of the skills shortage, partly because of a preference among second-generation minority communities for professional and clerical work.