31.84 MILLION
PEOPLE IN WORK
OPINION
UK EMPLOYEES
*UK Labour Market Feb 2017, ONS
2.24 MILLION
SAID THEIR MAIN CONCERN
WAS JOB SECURITY
*Total Jobs Survey
58%
Non-UK nationals
who moved to the
UK for work-related
reasons
44%
*Total Jobs Survey
ARE PESSIMISTIC ABOUT
THE FUTURE
*CIPD
61%
Say their HR
department have not
kept them informed
about the job
implications
21%
19O,OOO
Increase in non-UK nationals
in the UK
THINK THEY NEED TO LEARN
NEW SKILLS
*UK Labour Market, Feb 2012 ONS
*CIPD
*CIPD
Despite this lack of clarity, EEA
nationals can take steps to protect their
immigration status. For example, EEA
nationals who have been exercising
their treaty rights in the UK for at least
five years (whether through study,
work or economic self-sufficiency)
can apply for a Permanent Residence
Certificate (PRC). It is quite possible
that the Government will allow EEA
nationals with a PRC to remain in the
UK after Brexit. That said, the safest
position would be for an EEA national
to become a British citizen (known as
naturalisation), although this requires
holding a PRC for 12 months before
an application for naturalisation can
be made. Care needs to be taken as
some EEA countries do not allow
dual nationality.
WHAT SHOULD
EMPLOYERS DO NOW?
Given the current uncertainty, we would
suggest that employers:
1
Provide reassurance to relevant
employees that their current
immigration permission is unaffected;
2
Provide guidance to EEA employees
about the steps that they can take
(including collation of documents
showing their presence in the
UK and applications
for PRCs). Burges
Salmon
run user-
friendly Brexit
Immigration
presentations to their clients’ EEA
employees that do exactly this;
3
Look at business planning to identify
any key EEA employees who may
be affected by Brexit and consider
whether any other immigration options
are available to key employees to obtain
longer term permission to work in
the UK;
4
Carry out audits to identify any high
risk areas of the workforce with
large numbers of EEA nationals who
may be affected by a change in the
immigration rules.
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