The UK government has set March 2019 as the deadline for the free movement of people within the EU into the UK.
Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said on Thursday that a white paper that details how the government would manage migration after Brexit would be published towards the end of 2017.
“Well, obviously there’s a two-period of negotiation going on with the European Union at the moment but we are very clear that free movement ends. It’s part of the four key principles of the European Union,” he said.
The deadline announcement follows the commissioning of a government study that would assess the costs and benefits of EU migrants to the UK.
The study will ask key questions relating to the potential impact of EU migrants on the UK economy if there is a fall in the number of migrants entering the country from the bloc.
The study, to be conducted by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), was commissioned by Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
The committee will be asked to report back by September 2018 ahead of the deadline to end free movement.
Rudd who spoke to Newsmen in Scotland while visiting a Border Force Patrol Ship, said the needs of businesses would be prioritised in the study.
“Freedom of movement is a phrase that people use. What we’ve said is that we want a new informed, evidence based EU migration policy we’ve commissioned the mark to deliver on that – the independent group and they would be consulting with businesses and in the meantime, there will be an implementation phase when new EU workers will come here but, they will need to register their details with the full new EU immigration policy,” she explained.
“We will do it in a way that supports businesses, that is evidence-based and that doesn’t involve a cliff-edge,” she added.
“We hope that businesses, employers, and other charities and third-sector will all engage with this in order to get the right answers,” she added.
