The Commons: How leaving the EU led to more migration

bbc

Brexit was presented to many voters as an opportunity for Britain to “take back control” of its borders and reduce immigration levels, with the EU’s Free Movement scheme posing as a threat to national security by political groups.

 Before Brexit, the UK complied with the EU’s Principle of Free Movement, and allowed EU citizens to live and work in the UK without needing specific documents or permission. Whereas, non-EU citizens would require certain visas, such as a Skilled Worker Visa. Alongside the Principle of Free Movement, Brexit permitted the EU settlement scheme in 2019. The EU settlement scheme allowed EU citizens to apply for settled and pre-settled status and “family members of EU citizens, either EU citizens or nationals of a non-EU country, had the right to accompany or join EU citizens”. 

However, after officially leaving on 31st January 2020, immigration laws changed significantly. The new policy scrapped the Principle of Free Movement, and transitioned the UK immigration laws to be based on a points system. Despite attempting to end Britain’s reliance on migrant workers, Brexit instead transformed the infrastructure of migration into an employer controlled, more temporary system. The sharp rise in the number of regular migrants can be attributed to the liberalization of migration laws, making it easier for non-EU migrants to work in the UK, a campaign aimed at attracting more foreign students, and the high number of visas granted to people from Ukraine and Hong Kong on humanitarian grounds.

Skilled Worker Visas

The Skilled Worker route, replacing the Tier 2 route in December 2020, allows employers to recruit people to work in the UK in a specific job in an eligible skilled occupation. The visa, which lasts 5 years, allows internationals the right to work in the UK on the condition that they remain with their sponsored employer. Implementing this scheme meant that companies could hire internationally whilst also attracting high level employees with the best credentials.  

For employers post-Brexit, the new system offered a solution to labor shortages and allowed companies to hire externally for the proper candidates. 

So what are the negatives of this new infrastructure?

One fundamental issue with Skilled Worker Visas is that they are fixed on one employer. The tied nature of the visa means that there is a fundamental power imbalance between employers and workers. As an employee requires constant sponsorship within their visa period, an  employee is reliant upon their employer, making  employees more reluctant to report or raise specific concerns. Workers may feel unable to report unfair treatment, poor working conditions, and other issues in fear of losing their job and their right to work in the UK. This reinforces the idea that migrants on Skilled Worker Visas are valued more on their contribution to society, rather than a citizen of the UK.

Seasonal Workers

During an investigation conducted by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), Nearly half (44%) of the 845 workers interviewed as part of the inspections raised welfare issues including racism, wage theft and threats of being sent back home. These findings emphasize the vulnerability created by the temporary nature of the Seasonal Worker scheme and show mistreatment surrounding financial security and immigration status. As the UK hosts many seasonal workers in which they travel great distances to retain jobs, the possibility of dismissal or unfair work environments can place workers in uncomfortable positions. The investigation with TBIJ also revealed wider instability within the sector itself.

Following investigations with employers, 70% of respondents said they had difficulty retaining workers in the past two years. The top three reasons for this retention was because of industry changes by employees, increased workloads and complications with settled statuses'. These findings demonstrate not only the workers unfair treatment, but also the sector's deeper structural issues which result in difficult working conditions and scrutiny around immigration policy. While the Seasonal Worker Visa was introduced to fill labor shortages and protect agricultural sectors, the conditions have created exploitation and instability at a cost to migrant workers. This poses the question of whether continued dependence on temporary overseas workers is disrupting or helping the sector.

Although Brexit was introduced as a way to tackle immigration and restore national control, Brexit seems to reflect a contradiction of the government’s modern migration policy. The UK economy still relies heavily on migrant workers to fill shortages in sectors in need of help, such as agriculture. Rather than fully ending the exploitation of migrant workers, Brexit merely made it more restrictive through temporary labor and continued sponsorship. Through this, more exploitation has seemed to arise and exposed several problems through the introduction of Skilled Worker and Seasonal Worker Visas. Investigations into these sectors further arise how labor shortages continue  despite these tightened visas, suggesting that Brexit did not fix key structural problems that these sectors are facing. 

With the campaign of Brexit drastically reducing immigration, the public have voiced growing  frustration with debates around national security and political promises. Post-Brexit immigration raises a wider question into the exploitation of migrant workers and whether they are seen as citizens of the UK , or merely temporary solutions to sectors facing gaps.