Priti Patel sets out post-Brexit immigration details

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A fast-track health and care visa has been unveiled as part of plans for the UK's points-based immigration system for when freedom of movement ends.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said employers would be encouraged to invest in workers from within the UK.

But the new system, she added, would also allow them to "attract the best and brightest from around the world".

The new system is set to come into force on New Year's Day, immediately ending freedom of movement with the EU.

Under the government's plan, those wishing to live and work in the UK must gain 70 points.

Points would be awarded for meeting criteria such as having a job offer, holding a PhD relevant to the job, speaking English or earning more than £22,000 a year.

Those with job offers in "shortage occupations" such as nursing and civil engineering would also be able to earn extra points.

Labour said it would scrutinise the proposals "very carefully", saying the government had "rushed through immigration legislation with very little detail in the middle of a global pandemic".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK would have a "humane and sensible" immigration system.

In a written ministerial statement to the House of Commons, Ms Patel said: "At a time where an increased number of people across the UK are looking for work, the new points-based system will encourage employers to invest in the domestic UK workforce, rather than simply relying on labour from abroad.

"But we are also making necessary changes, so it is simpler for employers to attract the best and brightest from around the world to come to the UK to complement the skills we already have."

The new health and care visa will have a reduced fee. Those applying would for it should expect a reply within three weeks, the government said.

Ms Patel also said frontline health workers would not have to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge.

However, social care workers would not be able to take advantage of the new visa, Downing Street confirmed.

Ms Patel also said the visa process for students was being refined, with a new graduate route being launched next summer to "help retain the brightest and the best students to contribute to the UK post-study".

International students would be able to stay for a minimum of two years after finishing their studies, she said.