UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson promises that conditions will be equal for all
Today, citizens of European Union countries enjoy the privilege of living and working in the United Kingdom without a visa, while citizens of other countries must meet a number of mandatory criteria for this, including knowledge of English, having a sponsoring company, and salary level.
In addition, as BBC notes, a British company, as a rule, cannot offer a job to a resident of a non-European country without first considering applications from candidates from EU countries.
However, after Brexit this may change, and the current system will be replaced by a new one, similar to that adopted, for example, in Australia. It will apply to all labor migrants regardless of country of origin.
Under this system, a work visa applicant will be awarded points for certain professional or personal qualities, such as level of education, specialty, and so on. Earlier, Johnson spoke about a full transition to the new points-based system by January 2021.
According to a report from the Office for National Statistics for November last year, migration to Britain from EU countries has been steadily declining over the past four years, while the influx of migrants from third countries has been growing since 2013.
In Australia, which is often cited as an example by British politicians and commentators, representatives of in-demand professions have a better chance of obtaining permission to work in the country. However, this is not the only factor – the applicant's age, education, and level of English are also taken into account.
Currently, Britain has a system under which qualified migrants with a salary of £30,000 or more have the right to work in the country only if they have a certified sponsoring company. The number of sponsorship certificates issued by the Home Office upon company applications is limited.