TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, today welcomed a report by Home Affairs Committee (First Report: Immigration Cap) – chaired by Keith Vaz MP – that suggested excluding intra-company transfers of under two years’ duration from the proposed cap in migration.
Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said:
“TIGA has previously argued that there should be no restrictions on the freedom of publisher owned studios to facilitate intra-company transfers. This could damage the ability of studios to complete their projects on time and impair the quality of game development. TIGA is delighted therefore that the Home Affairs Committee has suggested that intra-company transfers under 2 years’ duration should be excluded from the cap. This is a sensible proposal which, if enacted, will help the video games industry.
“Game development is a highly skilled sector and technological changes can mean that the specialist skills needed by games businesses may not always reside in the UK. In these circumstances games businesses should be free to recruit highly skilled personnel from elsewhere – through intra-company transfers or through the Tier 2 migration route (highly skilled workers with a job offer).
“Arbitrary limits on migration could stop development studios from completing projects on time, halt expansion plans and damage their ability to win new contracts.””
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