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The new immigration rules will be “simple and flexible”, the ministers have promised, as the UK’s points-based Brexit system prepares to survive.
From Tuesday 1 January most foreign nationals, including those from the European Union who want to work in the UK, will have to apply online for a visa.
Skilled worker visa holders will need job offer fur, to become proficient in English and at least, to earn 25,600.
Free movement from and to the EU will end on 31 December.
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The UK left the EU on 31 January, but its rules have been largely adhered to during the subsequent 11-month transition period, as both sides try to reach an agreement on trade deals.
As negotiations continue in London, the UK is preparing to leave the European Union’s single market and customs union by the end of the year.
The government has announced it will set up a new Border Operations Center, which it says will ensure round-the-clock surveillance of goods and passengers entering and leaving British ports for the first time.
Border preparations gained momentum
It is expected to reduce the amount of “short-term” crashes at the border in the days and weeks following January 1. The tech company will use 20 million software pieces produced by Palantier, which collects data from various government computers.
Cabinet Office Fees Minister Michael Gove said the new system would enable officers to identify “quickly and decisively” and bring obstacles to the forefront.
Business groups say delays at the border are inevitable given the changes in customs action, while Labor said “stimulus questions” remain unanswered about what businesses need to do.
Shadow Minister Rachel Rivez said the government is pushing businesses to prepare for the end of the transition period when it is not clear what businesses they are preparing for.
“The government is changing the basic element of readiness but still can’t tell us which customs agents are being recruited or trained or whether the crucial IT is ready.”
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Gove said: “There is a lot for businesses to do, whether we get a free trade agreement or not.
“There is no harm in doing these things because it will probably be necessary to come.”
- Brexit happened but the rules did not change at once: The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, but the leaders needed time to negotiate a deal for life – they got 11 months.
- Talking: The UK and EU have until 31 December 2020 to agree on trade deals as well as other matters such as phishing rights.
- If there is no deal: Border checks and taxes will be introduced for goods traveling between the UK and the EU. But deal or not deal, we will still see changes.
To address the Cabinet Office fees, known as the “challenges” of potential disruption at the UK border next year, a Border Operations Center will try to “identify the root causes” of passengers and freight products using large information technology.
The software system was created by the controversial U.S. firm Pelantier and will pull together data from various government computers to monitor the flow of people and vehicles across the UK border.
Palantier has caused controversy in the United States, where its systems have been used by U.S. Is done through Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This warns the human rights organization Amnesty International that “Palantir is contributing to serious human rights violations of migrants and asylum seekers”.
The company rejects the suggestion and says it is generally concerned with the protection of human rights, privacy rights and civil liberties.
The UK government has insisted that Palantier will only process data in the UK and that strict measures are being taken to protect personal information.
What is changing in immigration?
The UK’s new immigration system will determine who can work in the country from 1 January.
Online applications for visas through a series of new “routes” will open on Tuesday.
Applications for skilled worker visas will be directed based on a one-point system, which has been based on the system in Australia for many years.
Eligible occupations, knowledge of English and whether applicants meet the salary threshold – which is usually a minimum of 25,600, will be awarded points for a job offer at the appropriate skill level.
The cost of applying will be between 10 610 and 40 1,408 and people will have to show that they have enough money to support themselves as well as proof of identity.
Applicants will have to wait about three weeks to find out if they have succeeded.
How do these rules affect people already living in the UK?
EU citizens already live in the UK by 31 December and their families do not have to go through the new system, but can instead apply to the EU settlement scheme, and have until 30 June 2021 to do so.
If they succeed, they will be able to stay in the UK and move to the UK. Citizens will claim the same benefits if they become unemployed.
Irish citizens do not need to apply for the plan and will not need permission to come to the UK, as both the UK and Ireland are part of a common travel area.
Various rules apply to workers outside the EU and to EU migrants who arrive after the end of the transition period. Those who lose their jobs will have to return to their homeland, unless they have indefinite leave to stay.
The rules of home office fees that workers can stay in the UK after losing a job are complicated but can be read here.
The path to ‘exceptional talent’
Home Secretary Preeti Patel said the system would be “simple, effective and flexible” and would enable employers to fill skills gaps, while placing too much emphasis on companies to train and invest in British workers.
Mrs Patel and other critics of the free movement have long argued that this puts British companies too heavily on the continent’s less skilled workers and puts applicants in the rest of the world at a disadvantage.
But unions have warned of a crisis over the recruitment of social care staff under the new rules and said steps need to be taken to meet the expiration of visas for foreign-born NHS workers.
Applications for Global Talent, Innovator and Start-up visas were also opened on Tuesday, designed to attract “those who have extraordinary talent or show exceptional promise in the fields of engineering, science, tech or culture”.
New rules for international students came into force in October.
The rights of more than three million EU citizens already employed in the UK are protected under the terms of the withdrawal agreement signed by the UK and the EU earlier this year.
As of 30 September, 2.1 million people were granted permanent status and 1.6 million pre-permanent status – ensuring they could stay in the UK.
