What is the Sectors Based Scheme?
The development of the Sectors Based Scheme (SBS) was initiated because a need for low skilled short-term casual labour. The pilot has been operating since 30 May 2003, and allows UK employers to recruit overseas nationals to fill certain, specified low-skilled posts (below NVQ level 3) within hospitality and food processing sectors. The SBS permits are issued on an annual quota basis. The quota for 2004/05 was set at 15,000, with 9,000 allocated to the hospitality sector, and 6,000 to Food Manufacturing A full review of SBS started in autumn 2004. Food Manufacturing quota remained the until 31 May 2006. The Hospitality quota was scrapped because of abuse of the scheme, and evidence that many employers in this sector were able to meet their labour needs from an expanded EU. The scheme came to an end on 1st July, 2005 at midnight The decision on the immediate future of SBS, should be viewed in the wider context of the Government’s Five-Year Strategy for Asylum and Immigration, published
