It seems that somehow, Brexit is even more confusing than it has ever been. Unless you are a total international politics expert, you probably feel lost and confused by the whole thing.
What seems to be happening a lot is that news outlets are focussing on a whole lot of complex political topics which are, of course, important, but whilst doing so are leaving how Brexit might affect the average working person out of their narrative. Granted, this has got better in the past month or so, but what do the experts really think?
Some immigration solicitors in Manchester have been discussing how they think what sort of effects of Brexit we might see, and what they have already seen.
The impact so far
Brexit has definitely had an impact on life in the UK already. With it being on every news outlet every day, it’s pretty hard to avoid. The value of the pound dropped the day after the referendum way back in 2016, amongst other economic changes such as businesses closing branches and factories in the UK.
During their discussion, immigration lawyers at AWH Solicitors talked about these issues, as well as drawing upon the impact Brexit has had on immigration so far. Apparently, when the referendum was first announced, the amount of inquiries immigration solicitors across the UK shot up.
The trend has steadied, but the amount of inquiries has still risen. Many European Economic Area citizens have been getting in touch with immigration experts to find out about residence cards as proof of living in the UK.
Unsurprisingly, there has been a definite sense of urgency for the past two-and-a-half years. A lot of EEA nationals and their family members are rushing to get their residency or settlement applications in because they’re worried about what is going to happen in the coming months.
What will be affected most?
The answer to this question might differ depending on who you ask. There are a few facts, however. For example, free movement is set to end, which will mean that UK nationals and EEA nationals will lose the ability to move freely around the twenty-six countries in the Schengen area. This won’t so much affect your holidays but is more likely to have an impact on people who live – or want to live – in one of the twenty-six countries.
For immigration experts, the answer to what will be affected most by Brexit is businesses – both big and small. Seemingly they will start to feel the effects of Brexit pretty quickly too.
One reason for this is due to the fact that people from European will find it more difficult to emigrate to the UK, where they would usually fill the lower skilled jobs that these businesses often rely on. Without people relocating to the UK and contributing to our economy by working in the low skilled jobs in these businesses, there is likely to be a shortage of these types of workers. One immigration advisor pointed out that this lack of workers will then have a knock-on effect on employment, the economy and the cost of living for everyone.
So, it seems that from an immigration solicitor’s perspective, a lot is set to change over the next couple of months!
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