Out-Law / Your Daily Need-To-Know

BREXIT: Number of skilled workers arriving in UK 'has held steady' since vote

07 Mar 2017, 9:48 am

International businesses operating in the UK have continued to recruit senior staff from overseas despite uncertainty caused by the Brexit vote, according to figures obtained by Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com.

The number of intra-company transfer (ICT) visas granted by the Home Office in the six months after the Brexit vote increased by 3% when compared to the year before, up from 6,650 to 6,446. ICT visas allow companies to transfer skilled workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to the UK, and are regularly used by large financial, professional services, advanced manufacturing and technology firms.

Corporate immigration law expert Joanne Hennessy of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said that overseas workers were able to fill highly specific gaps in skills and knowledge that British staff were simply not able to provide. For this reason, they were important source of skills for international businesses operating in the UK, she said.

The increase came despite press reports that major companies were considering the future of their UK operations post-Brexit, including by moving their headquarters overseas, Hennessy said. However, other companies including Amazon, Apple and Expedia have announced that they are expanding their UK operations.

"The fact that businesses are maintaining the inflow of skilled overseas workers during a period of considerable political uncertainty is a real vote of confidence in the British economy and should offer reassurance," Hennessy said.

"In many cases, skilled overseas workers are crucial to the smooth running of international businesses in the UK. The steady number of ICT visas granted is a promising sign that many businesses intend to maintain their UK operations for the time being. Skilled workers are not only key to ensuring that businesses remain competitive abroad, but also encourage skills transfer through interaction with domestic workers," she said.

Hennessy added that it was "vital" for the government to "keep the door open" to skilled workers from overseas during the Brexit negotiations.

"It will be interesting to keep track of ICT applications moving forward, especially as Brexit negotiations get underway in the next few months," she said.