London: Britain is to unveil plans for overhauling migrant-worker rules after Brexit in a report later this year, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said, as she promised to act on public fears over immigration.
Rudd said her office is “looking at all the different options” to manage immigration from the European Union (EU) once the UK leaves the bloc. It could include the merits of a work permit scheme, a multi-year visa system and scrapping the right of migrants to claim social-security benefits while working.
“We are going to work with businesses, with employers to make sure that the immigration system we put in place does enable them to continue to thrive and continue to grow,” Rudd said on “Peston on Sunday” on ITV television. “We are against cliff edges so as part of the consultation we will be bringing out in the summer, we will be asking them the best way to deliver that.”
Prime Minister Theresa May has made gaining control over Britain’s borders and immigration policy a key red line for the UK after Brexit, declaring it more important than remaining inside the EU’s single market. She is seeking to allay public concerns over historically high levels of net migration in recent years, which was a key issue for supporters of “Leave” in the Brexit referendum campaign.
Official government figures showed net migration to the UK fell to 273,000 in the year through September — its lowest level in more than two years, and down from a near record-high 335,000 before June’s vote.
As a former home secretary, May knows how difficult it can be to control migration but is determined to deliver on what she sees as a defining issue for voters. “My office is working on a range of options and one of the first things we’re going to do is a consultation. We hope to do it over the summer,” Rudd said.
Rudd declined to comment in detail on the reforms under consideration after The Sunday Times newspaper said ministers were planning a new work-visa regime for new arrivals from the EU, citing unnamed officials. “We will be ending freedom of movement as we know it — otherwise we are looking at all sorts of different alternatives,” Rudd said.
May is due to trigger the start of the formal Brexit negotiating period under Article 50 of the EU treaty in March. Rudd said the premier wanted an early agreement on guaranteeing the residency rights of EU citizens living in the UK, with a reciprocal assurance for British nationals living in other European countries.
