Brexit officially was approved by parliament and became effective on 31st January this year, and whilst the Prime Minister has refused to extend the transitional period beyond 31st December 2020, adamant upon leaving on a no-deal basis, if a trade deal cannot be struck, in the wake of the COVID-19 virus which is ravaging people and communities throughout the world, Brexit has somewhat paled into insignificance.

The proposed new immigration rules recently unveiled by the Government in the New Immigration Bill is due to take effect as from 1st January 2021, and aims to create a high skill-based Australian -style points-based system, in a bid to end a dependency on cheap labour from Europe, bringing to an end the admission of those considered as ‘ low skilled’.

Therefore from 1st January 2021, people who wish to come and work in the UK, must earn a minimum of £25,600, have a job offer and speak English to a certain standard in order to get a work visa. All applicants whether EU and non-EU citizens will need to gain 70 points to be able to gain entry to the UK.

There will be some exceptions for people who earn at least £20480 in industries with a shortage, like the NHS.

The coronavirus debacle however which in a flash has consumed the world has relied heavily on those very low skilled workers whom the government is to refuse entry to the UK for the purposes of work when Brexit kicks in.

However, it is those same low skilled workers who have maintained the fabric of our society together and prevented civil unrest at this time of utter chaos where human nature has manifested itself in so many material forms, such as greed and hoarding of food, the clearing of supermarket shelves as though there was a world famine upon us, to genuine acts of human kindness and compassion.

It has been the low skilled workers such as packets, lorry drivers, those working in the food processing industries, supermarket workers, administrative and secretarial staff, those in the care, sales and customer service industries and hospital porters and ambulance drivers, who have kept the UK operational at these unprecedented times, and I believe that restricting their entry to the UK would spell disaster.

It is a hard fact that most Britains have been and continue to be selective in the work they do, and the generous benefits system has not encouraged persons to go out and seek employment, as many would rather remain unemployed and live off state benefits than seek a job which they may regard as demeaning.

So it is not surprising that reliance continues to be placed on low skilled foreign workers to carry out so many daily functions of our society that we take for granted.

I sincerely hope that when the UK and the world return to normality, the Government will rethink through the current proposed new immigrating rules and relax its currents stance on unskilled workers without whom the economy would struggle to function properly. Where are those skilled workers now? Where are the entrepreneurs? Where are the investors? Where are the creams of society today when survival appears to trump all needs?

Written by Dr Bernard Andonian

Consultant Solicitor

Gulbenkian Andonian Solicitors Ltd