EU businesspeople will not require UK Visa post Brexit

Following the recent release of the White Paper on Future Working Relations with the EU from the UK Government, it seems likely that the rules around business trips by EU businesspeople may not be too strict. The White Paper came out following the Government meeting at Chequers which sought to tie down what would be looked for in the Brexit deal for the UK.

No UK Visa needed for work purposes

The major takeaway for business between the EU and the UK was that it is planned that no specific UK Visa would be required for executives from EU countries to visit the UK for work purposes. It was reported that this would be only for short trips though and would only take into account some fairly limited paid work situations. These plans by the Government as to how the future UK relationship with the EU may work will also see EU based citizens given no preferential rights over citizens of other non-EU, friendly countries.

Can it work?

Almost as soon as the news broke, there were concerns raised as to whether it would work in practice. Many people felt this White Paper lacked sufficient detail to make a judgment on how overall post-Brexit immigration issues may work out. This is especially true when it comes to non-work travel between EU countries and the UK.

A separate White Paper on Immigration is expected around October 2018 and many feel this will need to be seen first to get a firm handle on how movements between the EU and the UK will work in practice. While the recent proposals for work travel are welcome, it has still not been clarified how new immigration controls will work for personal or family situations.

Will immigration from the EU be similar to current non-EU immigration laws?

What you may expect to see when the Government releases the Immigration White Paper in October is that the new laws for EU immigration may look very similar to the current regulations for non-EU countries, like Canada. The UK Government is clear that completely free movement between the EU and UK will end but some kind of mobility will still be allowed. Although the recent news around work trips from the EU to the UK tells us more, the full picture is still to be revealed.