Firms 'should pay £6,000 fee if they want to hire cheap foreign labourers': Think-tank also calls for introduction of 'brickie visa' to plug shortages

• e-mail

Plumbers, bricklayers and electricians from Europe should only be allowed to work in the UK for up to three years after Brexit, according to a new report.

A leading think-tank has suggested ministers introduce a so-called ‘brickie visa’ to plug labour shortages after Britain quits the EU.

Experts said introducing work permits would ‘sharply cut back’ the number of migrants – many from Poland and Romania – heading here for lower-skilled jobs.

A leading think-tank has suggested ministers introduce a so-called ‘brickie visa’ to plug labour shortages after Britain quits the EU 

Migrationwatch said firms would be forced to pay a fee for each foreign worker in a bid to wean them off cheap foreign labour – thought to be around £6,000 each.

Companies would be urged to train up UK staff instead to fill the gaps, said the report. For this group, there would be no access to public funds and no route to settlement.

But the blueprint, published today WED, called for ‘light touch’ visa-free travel for millions of visitors, businessmen and women, and tourists.

Movement between the UK and EU should remain ‘largely unhindered’, it said.

Putting in place a ‘time-limited’ work permit system would lead to a ‘significant reduction’ in lower-skilled workers, cutting net migration – the difference between those arriving in the UK and those leaving – by about 100,000 a year. It is currently running at 246,000.

Rules for highly-skilled migrant workers, foreign staff who transfer to a company’s UK branch, and those in occupations with a shortage of workers would mirror those currently in place for non-EU migrants.

Provisions for self-employed workers would have ‘strong safeguards against abuse’, said the study. And a seasonal workers scheme could be revived to meet the needs of the agricultural sector.

Migrationwatch published its paper after it was revealed that the Home Office was considering plans which would allow EU migrants would be able to come to Britain after Brexit as long as they have a job.

Migrationwatch published its paper after it was revealed that the Home Office was considering plans which would allow EU migrants would be able to come to Britain after Brexit as long as they have a job

Alp Mehmet, vice chairman of the think-tank, said: ‘The scheme we have outlined would not only control but also reduce immigration, as the public wants.

‘It would also slow the current rapid population increase and, in the medium-term, help ease pressure on our infrastructure, hospitals, schools and housing.

‘While the negotiations are moving at a snail’s pace, the UK can and must remain open to the best talent from Europe. Visitors and students will of course be as welcome as they always have been.’

Employers have warned that some sectors of the economy, such as construction, agriculture and horticulture, rely heavily on EU workers and could struggle if the labour supply dries up.

For instance, manufacturing employs some 332,000 EU nationals while the wholesale and retail trade has 508,000.

Migrationwatch, which campaigns for tighter borders, said the claims were ‘exaggerated’ but acknowledged there should be a ‘transitional period’ to allow firms to train UK replacements.

Earlier this year a leaked draft Home Office document suggested the number of EU citizens able to come to the UK for low-skilled work could be limited by a salary threshold, an assessment of the skill level of the occupation, or a direct cap on numbers.

(BLOB) Introducing regional work permits would be possible but it would need a whole new layer of local government, a report says today WED.

The Migration Observatory think-tank at the University of Oxford said: ‘Immigration policies that respond to the needs of local areas make sense in theory, but implementing them in practice would be a complex process.’

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have called for responsibility for work permits to be devolved to different regions of the UK.

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘After we leave the EU, we will put in place an immigration system which works in the best interests of the whole of the UK.

‘As part of our work to develop this system, we have asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee to assess the economic and social impact of EU citizens in all parts of the UK.

‘We are carefully considering the options for the future immigration system and will set out our plans later this year.’