On 28 June the Government launched a 12 week consultation with businesses and other interested sectors on our plans for implementing annual limits on non-EU economic migration. At the same time, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee to advise the Government on the level at which the first annual limit should be set. In order to prevent a surge of applications while we consult, we introduced an interim limit on the General routes of Tiers one and two of the Points Based System and raised the pass mark for all new Tier one (General) applicants to ensure that those coming through the route are the most valuable to the UK.