An immigration cap on non-EU workers will be of no help to IT contractors, it has been claimed.

According to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), firms will still be able to bring in personnel from overseas due to intra-company movement laws.

The group is asking for the government to take a look at these laws and tighten regulation to protect the interests of UK IT contractors.

APSCo chief executive Ann Swain explained: "The UK Border Agency, which has responsibility for enforcement, could do much more to investigate alleged abuses of the system.

"If the government doesn't look at this issue, the cap will be little more than an empty gesture."

In addition, the non-EU cap will penalise small businesses looking to fill their skills gap, she continued.

A recent PCG roundtable established that IT contractors in other parts of Europe are facing exactly the same problems as those in the UK.