The U.K. government will curb the number of low-skilled migrants allowed into the country as part of a broad overhaul of its immigration policy following Brexit.
After its departure from the European Union, the U.K. is ending the free movement of migrants from the 27-member bloc. In its place a new points-based system—much like the ones used in Australia and Canada—will be implemented from the start of next year, screening foreign workers on criteria including fluency in English and salary.
“We’re ending free movement, taking back control of our borders and delivering on the people’s priorities,” said Home Secretary Priti Patel. The government said overall migration numbers would fall once the system is in place.
Countries around the world are searching for ways to temper the flow of lower-skilled migrants and instead attract young, highly educated workers to their shores. President Trump is among several world leaders who have praised the points-based model in the past as a good way to sift migrants.
Britain’s challenge is to control immigration while not damaging its service-heavy economy where unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since 1974 and where businesses have benefited from a flow of cheap European labor. Industry bodies lined up on Wednesday to voice concerns about the system which will turn decades of policy on its head.
“From now on, the employer won’t dictate who comes into the country, it will be the government,” said Punam Birly, head of employment and immigration at consulting firm KPMG.
Worries about unfettered immigration from the EU was a key catalyst for the U.K.’s decision to vote to quit the bloc back in 2016. As a member of the EU’s single market, the U.K. had to allow citizens from across the EU the right to work in the country. A large number of people from central and Eastern Europe migrated to the U.K., sparking concerns about pressure on social services, schooling and jobs.
Under the new system, all migrants will be rated on a number of factors including whether they have a job offer, speak English and earn over £25,600 ($33,300). The Home Office Tuesday said in a policy document that it “will end the reliance on cheap, low-skilled labor coming into the country.”
The Home Office estimates 70% of the existing EU workforce wouldn’t qualify as skilled workers under the new immigration framework.
Several business associations expressed concern. The Confederation of British Industry warned that the tightened restrictions on EU migrants could hurt industries including the construction, hospitality, food and drink sectors. Many seasonal farmworkers, for instance, come from the EU. British government officials have told businesses to focus instead on investing in training up their existing workforces and new technology in part to tackle lagging productivity.
Still, it is unclear to what extent the new system will lower overall migration to the U.K. The new rules make it easier for non-EU migrants to enter the U.K. than before. The new minimum salary needed to get a work visa in the U.K. has been lowered from the existing £30,000 level. Also, applicants will no longer need a university degree to apply. A cap on the number of skilled visas that can be issued has also been abolished.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already announced plans for fast-track visas for top scientists and engineers. The government is also piloting a system to ease access for seasonal workers and is lowering the salary requirements for workers in certain industries where there are shortages.
“I am not going to get into numbers,” said Ms. Patel when asked on Sky News by how far immigration would be cut.
Net immigration from EU has more than halved since the U.K. voted to quit the EU in June 2016. There were 3.7 million non-U. K. workers at end-2019, of which 2.4 million were from the EU, according to Britain’s Office of National Statistics. Total employment of U.K. nationals is 27.1 million.
The new migration system could well be tweaked. The U.K. is currently negotiating a trade deal with the EU, which could lead to a softening of its hardened stance toward EU workers. “If there is a trade deal this could be completely different,” Ms. Birly said.
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