Is the Home Office considering plans to hand new visa powers to an independent body after Brexit?
The Home Office is reportedly considering handing new powers to an independent migration body to issue visas on a sector-by-sector basis.
The Sunday Times reports that ministers are evaluating a plan to grant the Migration Advisory Committee powers to decide how many visas need to be issued for workers in key sectors after Brexit.
The MAC already produces skills shortage lists for the UK and Scotland to support Home Office decision making, and was at the heart of proposals from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry for a specific visa regime for the capital.
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The plan would also guarantee the rights of EU nationals in the UK on the day the government triggers Article 50.
A Home Office spokesman said the report was “speculation”, but the Institute of Directors welcomed the MAC proposal.
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IoD deputy director of policy Edwin Morgan said: “Trying to de-politicise the UK’s immigration system, by giving more powers to an independent body, is a good move.
"However, it is difficult for any committee to predict how many visas will be needed in any given sector, so there will have to be some flexibility if particular skills are needed at short notice. The immigration system must be responsive to the needs of the economy rather than designed in the abstract.”
Separately, home secretary Amber Rudd today said that a new business consultation on visa rules would begin this summer.