Sheffield has long been a city of culture and diversity. Scroll through our culture pages and you’ll see an array of events celebrating the city’s diversity. From Indian street food restaurants opening up on Ecclesall Road to South African eateries in Hillsborough [1], there’s a distinctly international vibe to Sheffield. Keeping this influx of culture alive and well is a system of legal routes for migrants to make the UK their home.
As per the UK’s legal system, businesses can bring in foreign workers via a skilled worker visa. However, a vital requirement for the business is obtaining a sponsor licence, which grants the right to employ individuals from overseas. In addition to minimum standards of education, employers must guarantee a suitable annual salary and have the necessary HR systems in place to support foreign workers. On the other side of the coin, foreign workers seeking employment in the UK must secure a job offer from a company that is able to sponsor a skilled worker visa.
Potential employees also need to have £1,270 in their bank account and proof they can support themselves while they’re in the UK. Thus, what you’ve got with the skilled worker visa is a system by which employers and potential employees need to meet minimum standards. These standards are there to ensure the local economy benefits from migration and foreign workers benefit from finding employment in the UK. The system has changed over the years but, largely, it’s been successful in creating a diverse workforce not just in Sheffield but in the UK as a whole.
Sheffield is More Diverse than Most of Yorkshire
What the data shows, however, is that Sheffield has been more of a beneficiary than many northern cities. According to data from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, 13.6% of the local population in Sheffield are foreign born. For comparison purposes, Bradford’s foreign born population is 15.8%, while North East Lincolnshire and East Riding are at 5.1% and 5.7%, respectively. This is good news for Sheffield’s cultural scene and one of the main reasons you can enjoy South African food in Hillsborough and watch independent international films at Sheffield DocFest.
The city’s two universities have also helped make Sheffield a multicultural hot spot in Yorkshire. The University of Sheffield has upwards of 30,000 international students from more than 150 countries [2]. Sheffield Hallam University also has a strong international population, with over 7,000 students hailing from 100 different countries. Therefore, between business and education, Sheffield has become one of the most diverse cities in the Yorkshire and Humber region. There is, of course, always room for improvement.
Changes to the UK’s working visa laws come into effect in spring 2024 and could make it harder for businesses to employ foreign workers. Increased education costs could also cause international students to look at other countries when choosing a university. The system isn’t perfect, but few things in life ever are. Sheffield has long been a destination for migrants and that’s turned it into a melting pot of cultures. That, in our opinion, is another reason to love the Steel City and everything it has to offer.
Further Reading
1. South African food in Hillsborough
2. International students at the University of Sheffield
