KPMG UK rescinds job offers for foreign graduates due to stricter visa regulations

KPMG Revokes Job Offers to Foreign Graduates in the UK Due to Visa Rule Changes

In a shocking turn of events, KPMG, one of the UK’s largest graduate employers, has rescinded job offers to some foreign graduates in the UK. This decision comes after the government tightened visa rules for overseas workers in an effort to reduce record immigration levels.

The Big Four firm informed affected incoming staff this week that their offers had been revoked, citing the government’s decision to raise the minimum salary required to sponsor a skilled worker visa in the UK. This move has had a significant impact on KPMG’s graduate programs that were previously eligible for sponsorship under the skilled worker visa category.

The changes to eligibility criteria have forced KPMG to halt the hiring of overseas graduates who require skilled worker visas outside of London. Graduates who had their offers revoked were told they could not defer their places to 2025 and could only transfer to a different graduate program this year if the role was still open for sponsorship.

This development underscores the challenges faced by Britain’s professional services industry in light of stricter rules on hiring overseas workers. The government’s decision to increase the salary threshold for skilled workers has directly affected firms like KPMG, which typically pay first-year graduates between £25,000 and £35,000 in the UK.

KPMG, which hired 1,400 graduates and apprentices last year, will now fill the vacant graduate places with individuals who are entitled to work in the UK. The firm has declined to comment on the exact number of offers that have been revoked.

In a related announcement, KPMG revealed plans to hire more former prisoners following a successful two-year trial. The firm described the initiative as “very positive” and a step towards promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.