600 million people could qualify to work in UK under new rules

Think tank says new immigration system will open doors to majority of countries outside EU when it comes into force in January 2021

The UK border; Britain’s new immigration system will come into force in January 2021 Reuters

The UK’s plans for a points-based system to regulate immigration have not properly considered a potential pool of 600 million people who could qualify to work in Britain under the new rules.

Research released by the think tank MigrationWatch UK suggested that the government has not attempted to calculate the number of eligible workers outside the European Union, a total it said amounted to “at least 590 million people”.

Taking back control of Britain’s immigration policy was one of the central themes of the Leave campaign during the country’s 2016 referendum on membership of the EU.

A points-based system ending freedom of movement within the EU will take effect next January.

Under the plans, factors such as a person’s English language ability, job offers and relevant skills will be taken into consideration for visa approval.

The Home Office’s new plans are meant to act as a remedy to the Britain’s experience of extending unrestricted access to its labour markets to Eastern European EU countries from 2004.

About 700,000 people arrived from these countries over six years, under the rules laid out by former prime minister Tony Blair’s government.

However, MigrationWatch has said that Britain could be opening its doors to a similar influx of workers under the new scheme.

The think tank said the proposed system will weaken current qualifying rules for citizens of around 80 per cent of countries.

Its analysis has found that, with a salary floor set at around £25,000, more than seven million UK jobs would be subject to new or increased global recruitment.

In a statement to parliament this month, Home Secretary Priti Patel said the new points-based system would offer the best of both worlds, with employers investing in the UK workforce while at the same time also gaining greater access to global talent.

"At a time where an increased number of people across the UK are looking for work, the new points-based system will encourage employers to invest in the domestic UK workforce, rather than simply relying on labour from abroad,” Ms Patel said

"But we are also making necessary changes, so it is simpler for employers to attract the best and brightest from around the world to come to the UK to complement the skills we already have," she said.

The migration group has painted a darker picture. “This scheme was drawn up long before the Covid crisis. Now, with unemployment heading for several million, we cannot simply blunder on with unlimited immigration from all over the world,” Alp Mehmet, the chairman of MigrationWatch UK, said.

“Immigration could easily spin out of control as it did under Labour. The only way to avoid a crisis is to put a cap on the numbers and then adjust as necessary. What is the point of taking back control over immigration only to hand it over to business?” he said.