In a letter released on 25 June 2026 and highlighted in LexisNexis’s weekly immigration bulletin, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) warned that poor-quality, slow and opaque migration statistics are hampering evidence-based policymaking. The committee calls on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to prioritise data infrastructure alongside headline targets. MAC says current delays mean ministers are often legislating on outdated trends, risking mis-calibrated salary thresholds or occupation lists that ‘yo-yo’ with every rule change. It recommends funding for granular linking of Home Office visa datasets with HMRC earnings records and NHS identifiers – moves that would help assess the economic contribution of different visa routes in real time. Why it matters: without reliable numbers, employers face policy shocks such as sudden hikes to Skilled Worker salary requirements. Improved data could give MAC the confidence to provide multi-year recommendations, allowing mobility budgets and workforce plans to stabilise. Businesses should watch whether the Autumn Statement allocates ring-fenced cash for the Office for National Statistics and Home Office data teams. In the meantime, sponsors can strengthen lobbying by submitting anonymised pay and vacancy data to MAC’s forthcoming call for evidence on the Immigration Salary List, expected in July. If adopted, MAC’s proposals would pave the way for dashboards similar to Australia’s ‘SkillSelect’, letting employers forecast quota availability months ahead – a significant win for strategic workforce planners.
