Recently, the government posted more details about their new immigration system which will apply from 1 January 2021. This helps clear up many questions that UK business owners have had for quite some time as their hiring and recruitment operations have been on hold since Brexit.

     From 1 January 2021, there will be an end to free movement for nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. Any non-British and Irish nationals which were not covered by the withdrawal agreement, will require visas for any visits to the UK. Short-term trips will not be affected, however. Another change is that National ID cards will no longer be acceptable and all arrivals will require a passport. There is a universal 'permission to travel' requirement in the works which should be phased in by 2025, which will require anyone other than British or Irish nationals looking to travel to the UK to seek permission to do so in advance.

How It Will Affect UK Businesses

     So, how does all of this affect your business? It means that employers will need to review the new policies and plan ahead to ensure little to no disruption in their hiring or recruitment practices. Recruiting EEA and Swiss nationals will become more complex, expensive and time consuming from January 2021, so employers need to understand that EEA or Swiss nationals recruited to the UK ahead of 31 December will be able to remain in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme rules. That means that they can avoid the new system

     Another important factor to understand is that neither the current points-based system (PBS) nor the new system permits migrants to enter the UK for lower-skilled work below RQF3. This will significantly affect the construction, care, hospitality, tourism, food processing, manufacturing, and retail sectors. These sectors are already facing shortages on just about every level, including the supply chain.

Sponsor Licence

     Businesses need to ensure that they have the proper sponsor licence before 1 January 2021. This will ensure that you are able to recruit the talent your business needs come 2021. Because of the expected surge in licence applications, processing times could be much longer than expected which means that employers should act now and apply for a sponsor licence right away.

Contact Aman Solicitors Advocates

     To learn more about the future of immigration in the UK, contact Aman Solicitors Advocates today.

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