The government’s points-based immigration system will put house building targets under threat by restricting the number of construction workers available to deliver new homes, the Federation of Master Builders has warned.

The comments come after home secretary Priti Patel revealed details of the scheme which will come into force from January 2021.

The government says the system “will assign points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions and visas will only be awarded to those who gain enough points”.

In the policy announcement today the government says it has “listened to the clear message from the 2016 referendum and the 2019 General Election and will end the reliance on cheap, low-skilled labour coming into the country”.

Skilled workers will need to meet specific criteria including the ability to speak English.

All applicants will be required to have a job offer with a minimum salary of £25,600.

Skilled workers will need to be qualified up to A level or equivalent, rather than degree level under the current system. 

The government says there will be no specific route for low-skilled workers. 

It estimates 70 per cent of the existing EU workforce would not meet the requirements of the skilled worker route, which it says will help to bring total migration down.

Patel says: “We’re ending free movement, taking back control of our borders and delivering on the people’s priorities by introducing a new UK points-based immigration system, which will bring overall migration numbers down.

“We will attract the brightest and the best from around the globe, boosting the economy and our communities, and unleash this country’s full potential.”

FMB chief executive Brian Berry says: “If we are to have an infrastructure revolution and build a million new homes over the next five years, we will need to have an immigration system that allows for key construction workers of all skill levels to come UK. of all skill levels. 

“Today’s announcement that there will no longer be a route for ‘low skill’ workers to come to the UK after next year will hamper the construction industry’s capacity to deliver on key projects.”

Berry adds: “We will need general labourers as much as architects or surveyors. 

“They are a core part of the construction industry and it’s simply unrealistic to assume the domestic workforce will fill this gap in the next nine months.”