U.K. Aims to Slash Unskilled Immigration After Leaving EU

  • New requirements would have excluded 70% of EU workers in U.K.
  • Home Secretary Priti Patel welcomes end to freedom of movement
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
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Boris Johnson’s government unveiled plans to end what it called the U.K.’s dependence on “cheap low-skilled labor” and deliver on its pledge to halt freedom of movement from the European Union after Brexit.

Under a points-based immigration system to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2021, workers must prove they can speak English, have a verified job offer and meet a points threshold based on their specific skills, qualifications and prospective salaries, according to a government policy paper published Wednesday.