The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Kevin Foster)
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is today laying before the House a statement of changes in immigration rules.
In February and July 2020, we published our policy statements on the UK’s points-based immigration system. This set out how we would fulfil our commitment to the British public to take back control of our borders by ending free movement and introducing a single, global immigration system. The points-based system will cater for the most highly skilled workers, skilled workers, students and a range of other specialist work routes including routes for global leaders in their field and innovators.
The changes to the immigration rules are a crucial part of the future points-based immigration system. They also introduce the new Hong Kong British national (Overseas) (BN(O)) route for a BN(O) citizen who wants to live and work in the UK and will extend the Afghan interpreter ex gratia scheme.
The rules also represent a significant further step in our commitment to simplify the rules, implementing many of the recommendations of the Law Commission to ensure we provide greater clarity to migrants, employers and all other users of the rules.
At the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, free movement will end and newly arriving European economic area (EEA) and Swiss citizens will come within the scope of the new global immigration system. These rules will generally commence between 1 December and 1 January, but EEA nationals will not be granted permission until after 1 January as they are able to rely on free movement right until then.
I have set out in a separate document the details of the changes we are making to the immigration rules, which should be read together with this statement.
The attachment can be viewed online at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2020-10-22/HCWS533/.
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