SURGE OF IMMIGRATION PREDICTED FOLLOWING VOTE TO LEAVE THE EU

The Home Affairs Select Committee’s first quarterly report of 2016, published on 27 July 2016, has advised that the UK should be prepared for an inbound surge of both non-EU and EU migration.

The committee of MP’s suggest that the uncertainty surrounding Brexit will cause a sudden increase in migration by non-EU citizens who are anticipating the implementation of stricter UK immigration policies to respond to the British public’s concerns, and also EU citizens who are uncertain about the “cut off” date for EU migration.

The committee chair, Labour MP Keith Vaz, said: “The biggest issue relating to Brexit is migration. There is a clear lack of certainty in the government’s approach to the position of EU migrants resident in the UK and British citizens living in the EU. Neither should be used as pawns in a complicated chess game which has not even begun.”

Mr Vaz went on to suggest that there are three potential cut off dates with respect to EU citizens, saying “the most obvious dates include the date of the Referendum, 23 June 2016, the date Article 50 is triggered or the date when the UK actually leaves the EU. EU citizens settled in the UK before the chosen date should be afforded the right to permanent residence.”

As it stands, the EU law governing the freedom of movement of persons is still applicable in the UK and has not changed following the UK referendum on 23 July 2016, in which the British public voted to leave the European Union.