The British government announced on Wednesday (19.02.2020) that from 2021 it will give priority to the entry of highly qualified workers into the United Kingdom under a new system to regulate immigration after Brexit. The plan also aims to "end the dependence on cheap labour from Europe«.
Concern about the impact of high levels of immigration from EU countries was one of the main arguments put forward by those in favour of leaving the EU in the 2016 referendum and the Government has already announced plans to drastically reduce these figures.
The new system for accepting foreign workers will allocate points for certain skills, qualifications, salaries or professions and will only grant visas to those who achieve a minimum number of points. Among the main requirements will be mastery of English. It will come into force on January 1 2021 y will treat EU citizens and citizens from around the world equally.
"For the first time in decades, the UK will have full control over who comes to the UK and how the immigration system works," the government says in a policy document supporting the plan.
But business leaders have rejected the new plan, stressing that many companies rely on foreign labour and warning that if the measures are implemented there will be a shortage of workers to tend crops, care for the sick and in the catering sector - a shortfall that could undermine the world's fifth-largest economy.
Under the new legislation, EU citizens will not need a visa for stays of less than six months.
The Home Office has followed recommendations made last month by the Immigration Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent body that advises the Government, to reduce the general minimum wage threshold for skilled migrants from €36,000 (£30,000) to €30,827 (£25,600).
Job seekers in the UK will need to meet criteria including job-specific skills and English proficiency, as well as having a job offer. There will be no specific entry route for low-skilled workers, which the Government hopes will help reduce the number of migrants. The MAC estimates that 70% of European workers who have arrived in the UK since 2004 would not have been eligible for a visa.
Students will be covered by the points-based system and there will be separate initiatives for scientists, graduates, NHS workers and those in the agricultural sector.
Source: Reuters
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
