New changes have recently been announced for UK Tier 2 visas, also known as sponsored work permits. From September 2009 onwards, companies looking to recruit employees from outside the UK have to advertise the job/role for one month within the UK first, which is more than double the previous requirement to advertise for 2 weeks. Many companies view this extra period as placing a great burden and unnecessary. They argue that if a role was able to be filled domestically, there would be enough qualified applicants within the first two weeks of advertising, given the weak job market at the moment.

In addition, multinational companies will find it harder to relocate staff to the London office. Before, this was a relatively simple process under the intra-company transfer (ICT) system, with no points-based criteria and relatively high success rate. However, companies cannot use ICT any more if the employee will be replacing a "settled worker". In addition, employees receiving promotions that involve a change of job responsibility and role might have to apply for a new Tier 2 work permit. Several worker's rights groups have condemned the move as it is seen as discriminatory to foreign workers, as companies will be more willing to promote local or EU staff over foreign staff due to the extra difficulty in having to reapply for permission to work in the UK.

However, not all the recent changes have been negative, with applicants with a Master's Degree getting more points under the Tier 2 Points Based System, and certain occupations in the Public Sector also receiving extra points. Ironically, the government is making it easier for foreigners to be recruited for government jobs; however, these are jobs that often have the biggest shortest of skilled applicants due to the low pay.