The first significant review of the UK’s migration system after Brexit has been published by the UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) in collaboration with the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. The report, titled “Immigration after Brexit: Where are we going?” reveals a substantial decline in work-related migration, particularly in industries such as hospitality and transport, which used to rely on relatively lower-skilled and lower-paid workers from the EU. This decline has contributed to labor shortages.

“The biggest shakeup in UK immigration policy for half a century coincides with a sustained shift in public attitudes in a more positive direction, with a broad consensus that the system should meet the needs of the economy and labor market,” the researchers explain.

Changing nature

The report also notes a decrease in EU students coming to study in UK universities, which has been offset by an increase in international students from outside the EU, who find the new Graduate Visa appealing. Additionally, the report highlights that the UK has experienced the largest movement of refugees since World War II, with around 437,000 people granted humanitarian status by the government, most of whom are Ukrainians or Hong Kongers.

Although public and political concern has centered around the increase in small boat crossings, adding to the pressures on an already under-resourced and poorly managed asylum system, there has been a sustained shift towards positive attitudes towards migration in general, especially for work-related migration, provided it is perceived to be controlled and in sectors where there is a demand for workers. Interestingly, public concern about overall migration levels appears to be far more subdued than in the run-up to the referendum.

“The post-Brexit immigration system has given with one hand and taken with the other,” the researchers conclude. “While some low-wage sectors have faced labor shortages as they adjust to a world without free movement, others have seen a boom in recruitment. The average impacts of the new immigration system are still expected to be small, but it’s clear that different employers are experiencing it in very different ways.”