U.K. Unveils Post-Brexit Immigration Plan for Skilled Workers

(Bloomberg) -- After last-ditch Cabinet negotiations, U.K. Home Secretary Sajid Javid will set out the government’s immigration plans for post-Brexit Britain on Wednesday.

According to a person familiar with the plans, the U.K. will hold a public consultation before deciding whether potential migrants should earn over 30,000 pounds ($38,000) a year before they qualify to enter as highly-skilled workers after Britain leaves the European Union.

The compromise position, negotiated between May, Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark Tuesday, sought to take account of May’s desire to reduce immigration to below 100,000 in line with the Conservatives’ 2017 manifesto and the concerns of other Cabinet ministers that the economy will suffer if a migrant talent pool dries up.

The white paper published calls for “a single, skills-based immigration system built around the talent and expertise people can bring, rather than where they come from – maximizing the benefits of immigration and demonstrating the U.K. is open for business,” Javid said, according to a statement.

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