Post-Brexit immigration rules – what now?

Employers in a number of key sectors will face an enormous struggle to fill certain jobs when new post-Brexit immigration rules come into force, UK law firm Shoosmiths said today.

The firm’s immigration expert Rachel Harvey said today’s announcement would particularly affect the care sector, hospitality and retail – as these sectors traditionally hire a substantial number of people from across the EU.

But she said: “Businesses will have the opportunity to employ people in roles that can be sponsored, but they will need to ensure they apply for a sponsor licence to guarantee business continuity.

“They will also, potentially, need to pay significantly higher either to sponsor an employee or to recruit additional talent.”

An immigration skills charge of £1,000 per year will apply to all jobs, while migrants will also have to pay £400 a year to access services from the NHS.

However, she adds: “A no cap and reduction on skills levels will mean that more jobs will be able to be filled by non-EU workers than they currently are.

“Certain sectors will be impacted more. For example, particular roles in care, hospitality and retail will not meet the RQF 3 threshold. On top of this, all roles will have to be sponsored.”

Elsewhere, she added that businesses would be expected to raise salaries to attract UK nationals to lower-skilled roles or to invest in technology to replace them outright (though this could be years away and could cost a substantial amount of money). Businesses must be prepared to retain the EU talent they currently have as well as prepare themselves to apply to be approved Sponsors before the inevitable rush begins.