Editorial: Special Focus: Latest News: Focus: The first step to a new The ongoing fall in Right to work legislation The Registered UK immigration system UK migration numbers has changed Traveller service Page 2 Page 4 Page 6 Page 10 INSIGHT UK IMMIGRATION NEWS & VIEWS FROM SMITH STONE WALTERS AUTUMN 2017 Modernising the immigration system... a complex task INSIGHT 03 EDITORIAL LOWERING MIGRATION door open for skilled tradespersons decision to terminate SAWS and THE FIRST STEP ON Given the government’s ongoing from the EU to work in the UK without are likely to use the MAC’s Call for insistence on applying an annual restriction as they do now. Evidence to highlight the importance of numerical target for net migration, it reintroducing a scheme, thereby allowing THE ROAD TO A NEW UK was probably pleased to note recent Currently, the government does not rural businesses to plan for the future. migration data from the Office for offer a specific scheme that would IMMIGRATION SYSTEM. National Statistics showing that around permit a self-employed, South American Given this reliance on EU workers, 122,000 EU citizens had left the UK in electrician to enter and work in the UK. many agricultural businesses will want the year ending March 2017. Whilst the existing Tier 1 Entrepreneur to make the most of the expected routes provide opportunity for self- transition period ahead of any new This voluntary exodus of EU nationals employed migrants to work and set up policy introductions. Home Secretary, appears to be fuelled by economic business in the UK, they are aimed at Amber Rudd, has acknowledged that and legislative uncertainty and has high-value entrepreneurs. a ‘cliff edge’ scenario when the UK rejuvenated the government’s ambition leaves the EU would be damaging to to lower migration below 100,000. If, as expected, new immigration employers, so the introduction of a post- Should this trend continue, many UK controls on self-employed EU citizens Brexit transition period of two or three industries fear that the additional are introduced, hiring a Polish plumber years is highly likely. impact of tighter immigration controls will become just as difficult as hiring his will further reduce their ability to equivalent counterpart from Paraguay. Not only would this give UK businesses recruit workers. some breathing space, it would also give SEASONAL WORKERS the government some much needed In March of this year, Andrea Wareham, Another area guaranteed to be under time to decide how best to tailor the Director of People at Pret a Manger, the spotlight will be rural businesses migration of EU labour to the differing told a Parliamentary Committee that and their high dependence on seasonal needs of UK industry. No mean feat... One year after the referendum, Like so many legal issues surrounding the UK’s exit from 65 per cent of Pret a Manger’s workforce agricultural workers from the EU. the EU, modernising our immigration policy will be a (around 10,000 in total) were EU the government has finally hugely complex and controversial task. Many UK sectors nationals and, interestingly, only around The Seasonal Agricultural Workers are heavily dependent on EU labour and are already one in 50 people who apply to work at Scheme (SAWS) was originally taken the first major step voicing concerns over the future of low and middle-skilled the company are British. introduced in 1945 to encourage young migration to the UK. European students to work in the UK towards forming a new UK This heavy reliance on low and middle during peak agricultural seasons. Prior Nevertheless, once the system has been agreed upon, skilled EU workers is mirrored across to being scrapped in 2013 by the then immigration system. every UK business will have to fall in line with the new other sectors such as construction, Home Secretary, Theresa May, 20,000 immigration and right to work legislation, which will most hospitality and healthcare, where it is EU workers entered the UK each year This edition of Insight reveals the latest The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has been likely mean becoming less reliant on EU workers. feared that the current UK workforce via this scheme. UK immigration figures and discusses commissioned to advise on the impact of the UK’s exit from alone will be unable to meet their the government’s recent moves towards the European Union (EU) and to suggest how the UK’s The MAC is currently calling for evidence from UK growing labour demand. To compound A recent survey by the Country Land and the formation of post-Brexit immigration immigration system should be modernised to accommodate businesses and other relevant parties in relation to this issue further, the ability to engage Business Association (CLA) said Brexit policy. We also look at the MAC’s Call the country’s new situation. their views on EU immigration in order to inform its self-employed EU workers is also likely had already caused problems for rural for Evidence regarding the UK’s EEA investigation. Whilst this enables the arguments of a wide to be controlled. employers, with 44% of CLA members workforce and introduce our new But will the new rules be both intelligible and comprehensive? range of interested parties to be heard by the government, saying they have experienced a reduction Brexit webpage! Don’t hold your breath! it is unlikely that the new system will succeed in satisfying SELF-EMPLOYED WORKERS in the availability of migrant labour over the needs of every sector. Once the rich pool of EU It is estimated that almost 300,000 the past year and almost all respondents For regular industry news updates The odds are stacked against the government when it comes candidates is no longer freely available to UK employers, EU nationals work in a self-employed citing difficulty in recruiting locally. sign up to our UK Immigration to getting this 100% right. Its track record regarding UK the overriding emphasis will be placed on businesses to capacity in the UK. Once the gate has News Service. immigration policy is not great and the pressure to balance recruit locally. been closed on the rest of Europe, the Many within the industry were very vocal the pros and cons for UK businesses is mounting by the day. government is unlikely to leave the back in their opposition to the government’s www.smithstonewalters.com/signup SPECIAL 05 FOCUS THE ONGOING FALL IN UK MIGRATION % % NUMBERS 122,000 EU citizens chose to emigrate of the fall in net migration can be directly attributed to a The ongoing exodus of EU citizens continues to drive from the UK (an increase of 33,000 on last year). drop of 51,000 for EU citizens, for whom net migration has 37 decreased to the lowest since December 2013. down net migration in the wake of the Brexit vote. 50 In this Special Focus, we summarise the latest official long-term international migration statistics for the UK in the year ending March 2017* 2NDEstimates show that immigration for study (139,000) was the second most common reason for migration to NET MIGRATION to the UK 39,00087,000 migrants arrived in the the UK. However, this represents a in the year-ending March 2017 has been FEWER UK looking for work. A drop of significant decrease of 27,000 on the estimated at 246,000, a decrease of 25% 39,000 on last year. previous year. from the previous year, of which 127,000 were EU citizens and 179,000 were non-EEA nationals. 275,000 people immigrated 246,000 for work-related reasons in year ending March 2017, down from 303,000 for the previous people IMMIGRATED to the UK. 1/3More than one-third of non-EU study year. The majority (188,000) This is a substantial drop from 638,000 in % visas were granted to Chinese students had a job to go to. the previous year. (up by 12,000 or 17% compared with a 588,000 year earlier). 10 In the year ending June 2017, the number of sponsored people from the UK. EMIGRATED skilled work (Tier 2) visas, This represents a sharp increase of 10% on including dependants, was 1% the previous year and is the highest recorded EU8Almost all of the change in EU net lower than the previous year estimate since 2012. % migration is accounted for by EU8 at 93,000 citizens including Polish and Czech 342,000 nationals (down 32,000). *The report also includes data from the Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the year ending June 2017. 1 LATEST 07 NEWS THE LATEST ON BREXIT… DID YOU KNOW? The government may soon announce plans For this, it has commissioned the Migration Advisory which would continue visa-free travel to the Committee (MAC) to investigate current and future trends RIGHT TO WORK in EEA migration and UK employers are being called upon UK for EEA nationals after the UK leaves to submit their views, experience and supporting evidence LEGISLATION the European Union. in relation to their EEA employee population. HAS CHANGED With the UK’s exit from the European Union approaching At this moment in time, it seems likely that any EEA national at an uncomfortable speed, the government is setting looking to come to the UK to work after Brexit will need the wheels in motion towards forming a post-Brexit UK to apply for a UK work visa, but as yet there has been no immigration policy as soon as possible. indication as to what kind of system this will be.