On Tuesday 2nd October the prime Minister and Home Secretary unveiled proposals for what the new migration system will look like after Brexit.

The government have essentially adopted the proposals from the Migration Advisory Committee that would see migrants from the European Economic Area go through the same process as current non-EU migration.

This would include a salary cap of around £30,000 and a judgement of the 'skill level' of the applicant.

In addition:

• The passports of short-stay tourists and business people from all "low-risk" countries would be scanned at e-gates - currently only EU citizens can do this

• Security and criminal records checks would be carried out before visits, similar to the system of prior authorisation in the US
• Successful applicants for high-skilled work would be able to bring their immediate family, but only if sponsored by their future employers

• The new system will not cap the number of student visas

Prospect senior deputy general secretary Sue Ferns said:

“While we welcome the government finally setting out some proposals on migration, it is extremely disappointing that they have based their ideas on a distinction between high and low skilled migration that is meaningless in practice and creates perverse outcomes.

“The Tier 2 visa system is broken precisely because there are incredibly skilled and dedicated people who earn below the current salary cap, and losing those people in the future will damage our economy and our society.

“No matter what the government says, it is clear that the final migration system will be dependent on the negotiations with the EU, hopefully that process results in a system that puts the long term needs of workers and businesses ahead of short term political interests.”