After four years of waiting since the referendum result, three consultations with business, and countless media reports, last week finally saw the announcement of the government’s post-Brexit immigration system. And despite its contents being contained in a mere 12 page policy statement, it represents the biggest shift in the UK’s immigration policy in a generation.
The new policy statement announces that free movement will end from the beginning of next year. In future, EU citizens looking to work in the UK will for the most part need to be sponsored by an eligible employer, as happens now for non-EU citizens. Migrants will need employers to sponsor them for work in occupations defined as at least medium-skilled and will need to be paid a salary of at least £25,600. For migrants with PhDs or for those looking to work in occupations with shortages, the minimum salary threshold will be lowered. Immigration into work defined as ‘low-skilled’ will be prohibited altogether.
While these proposals will liberalise the current rules for non-EU workers, they will make it far harder for EU citizens to live and work in the UK. According to IPPR’s analysis, around 70 per cent of EU migrant employees working in the UK would be ineligible for a skilled work visa if they had to apply under the new rules. The ineligibility rates are even higher in sectors such as hospitality, manufacturing, and transport and storage. While EU migrants currently living here will be protected under the government’s ‘settled status’ scheme, the new rules will make it far harder for businesses to recruit workers from the EU in future.
