The conservative UK government wants to massively restrict immigration of low-skilled workers after Brexit and specifically attract skilled workers. A whole system of scoring is planned to test the skills, qualifications, wages and occupations of potential migrants.
Home Secretary Preetie Patel said on Tuesday that in order to find work in the UK, interested people must have a job offer with an annual salary of at least 25,600 pounds sterling (about 30,100 euros) from 2021. The threshold will be lower than the £30,000 salary previously set for migrants from non-EU countries. However, migrants must have a university degree and be skilled workers.
With the new rules planned, the UK is facing the biggest immigration reform in decades. This was due to the country’s exit from the EU at the end of January. However, during the transition period until December 31, nothing will change in the free movement of people, which will allow EU citizens to live and work in the UK without hindrance. More than three million EU citizens who already live there should be able to stay. From 1 January 2021, the new rules should apply to both new EU and Third World migrants.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government said the new system “will open up Britain to the smartest and best people from around the world”, while ending “reliance on cheap, low-skilled” workers. But British employers have warned that radical changes in sectors such as health and care could lead to shortages. The new rules, however, have yet to be approved by parliament.