The three million-plus nationals from other EU countries living in the UK will face a simple registration process if they wish to remain in the country after Brexit, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has promised a parliamentary committee.

Immigration controls post-Brexit

She told the Commons Home Affairs Committee that the government would introduce a “completely different” system from the current, cumbersome one for handling immigration cases and said that an extra 1,200 case workers would be hired in the coming months to manage the new registration system.The pledge came as a report from the Creative Industries Federation (CIF) warned that the £87 billion the sector generates for the UK economy could be jeopardised once freedom of movement ends.Ms Rudd told the committee, “We have already recruited 700 case workers and we are in the process of recruiting another 500 by next April to ensure a system for registering EU nationals is ready by the end of next year. We are also looking to recruit further staff in the coming years.“The default position on registering for these three million will be to accept. We’ll be able to access information from HMRC and DWP, with their permission, in order to make it very straightforward.“They will be accepted for it unless there are fraud issues or criminality issues. So although we are tooling up with extra staff, we expect the vast majority of people when they register to be able to do it very simply online.”

Impact of immigration changes to UK businesses

Meanwhile, the CIF warned in a report to ministers that a post-Brexit clampdown on immigration would pose a “huge risk to the creative industries”, which often rely on overseas freelancers moving from job to job at short notice.A survey conducted by CIF found three-quarters of 250 firms employed workers from other EU nations and two-thirds believed they could not fill those jobs with British recruits.The organisation called for EU workers to be allowed visa-free travel with minimal red tape after Brexit to ensure that “same-day access to talent” could be preserved. The CIF also said that low-skilled EU workers should continue to be allowed to come to the UK for jobs in the sector and warned against imposing a minimum salary requirement, as applies to non-EU migrants under the Tier 2 visa system.

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CIF also called for a much simpler, speedier system that would allow freelancers from non-EU countries to get rapid access to the UK when needed by TV and film companies.John Kampfner, chief executive of the CIF, said, “This report shows that the end of freedom of movement poses a huge risk to the creative industries. Losing access to crucial international talent will damage our ability to produce the films, books and television that define Britain around the world.“Arts and culture have a huge role to play in forging new relationships with other countries. We need an immigration system that enables our extraordinary sector to continue to grow.”For related news and features, visit our Immigration section.Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory  

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