Catalogue description Commonwealth Immigrants: Application for Employment Vouchers

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Details of LAB 42
Reference: LAB 42
Title: Commonwealth Immigrants: Application for Employment Vouchers
Description:

Specimen applications for employment in the United Kingdom by Commonwealth citizens. The series consists of vouchers which were not used, cancelled or rejected and the reasons given for the ruling under the Commonwealth Immigrants Acts of 1962 and 1968, and also includes 100 wallets formerly comprising LAB 900/8 which have been dispersed among the relevant pieces of this series
Date: 1962-1972
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Physical description: 26 file(s)
Access conditions: Open unless otherwise stated
Accruals: Series is not accruing.
Administrative / biographical background:

Vouchers for the employment of Commonwealth citizens were issued under the Commonwealth Immigrants Acts 1962 and 1968. The vouchers were issued in two categories: category A for Commonwealth citizens with a definite offer of a job, and category B to those who held certain specified professional qualifications. Application for a category A voucher was made by the prospective employer.

Except for Malta and the Dependent Territories they were issued only for:

  • those holding professional qualifications and managerial and executive staff;
  • skilled craftsmen and experienced teachers;
  • specialised clerical and secretarial staff;
  • those coming for work which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State for Employment, was of substantial economic and social value to the United Kingdom.

Vouchers were not issued if the vacancy offered could be filled by suitable resident labour. Special arrangements existed for the admission, without vouchers, of doctors and dentists. Only a limited number of vouchers were issued annually, based on fixed quotas for the various countries of the Commonwealth.

The issue of vouchers was brought to an end by the Immigration Act 1971, which came into force on 1 January 1973. The effect of this Act was to bring Commonwealth citizens into line with citizens of foreign countries, in so far as employment is concerned, which means that Commonwealth citizens must have a prospective employer in order to come to this country for employment.

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