Brexit and UK and EU immigration policy

This project will examine the implications of Brexit for the current arrangements for free movement of workers within the EU; and the resulting economic (and political) implications for the UK. We will focus on the following topics:

(i) Options for a new post-Brexit immigration system. Brexit is likely to result in the most far-reaching changes to the UK immigration system since (at least) the Commonwealth Immigration Act of 1962. As yet, there is little or no detail on what a new system might look like. As the Brexit process and negotiations progress, we will provide a comprehensive analysis of the possible options and of the (political, administrative and legal) feasibility of proposals from the government and others.

(ii) Legal and administrative implications. Changes to free movement will have implications that go well beyond what happens at the UK's borders, or indeed the immigration system itself. They will require profound changes to UK law, in particular employment law, and on our current system of labour market regulation. We will aim to explore and explain these implications, in particular how they are likely to affect employers, businesses and individuals.

(ii) Economic and labour market impacts. Changes to free movement and the broader immigration system will have significant effects on the UK economy and labour market. We will aim to produce evidence-based assessments of these economic and labour market impacts, moving beyond the necessarily broad-brush approaches of previous analyses, and based on the most recent empirical literature

(iv) Interaction with other aspects of Brexit - in particular trade in services The Brexit debate so far has tended to regard trade and migration a as two separate issues - linked politically, but not economically. But trade in services and free movement of workers are closely related, practically, legally and economically. We will explore the interactions between the two; the implications for future trading arrangements between the UK and EU; and potential broader impacts on key sectors.

In all of these areas our aim will be to produce timely and accessible, but rigorous analysis of potential policies and their impacts. At the same time we will track and participate in the ongoing public debate, and will adjust our research agenda to reflect wider political and policy developments to ensure our continued relevance. The outputs will be a combination of synthesis of existing work across a number of disciplines and new research, quantitative and qualitative. Building on UKICE's existing networks and strong track record, as well as our own media profiles and policy contacts, we envisage a very active programme of dissemination through both traditional and innovative channels.

Who will benefit from this research?

Key beneficiaries will be

a) UK and international media; there will be high demand for commentary and articles on the policy options, implementation and economic impacts of post-Brexit migration policies, during the course of the negotiations. The PI/all CIs appear regularly on a variety of media outlets in both print and broadcast media, in the UK and internationally.

b) policymakers. The PI/CIs all testify frequently before Parliamentary Select Committees on migration-related issues and will be undoubtedly requested to appear multiple times during the course of the Brexit process. We will also offer informal briefings to senior policymakers across Westminster and Whitehall, as well as key actors in local government seeking to understand the implications of changing migration policies (e.g. the Strategic Migration Partnerships) .

c) general public. The PI/CIs will speak at invited lectures, debates, panels and public meetings.

How will they benefit from this research?

The media and hence the general public will benefit from access to informed and objective expert opinion on the implications of different policy options; policymakers will benefit from access to timely advice; business, employers and the private sector will benefit from analysis of the detailed legal and administrative implications of possible changes to law and policy. The PI/CIs all have an exceptionally strong track record in this respect already, both in general and with specific reference to Brexit and migration.

What will be done to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from
this activity?

The PI/CIs are all experienced in ensuring that their academic research reaches a wider audience (see above). In addition, the team will work closely with the UK in a Changing Europe team (of which Barnard and Portes are already Senior Fellows) to ensure that the research contributes to the wider work of UKICE. They will also carefully maintain their independence and objectivity in this highly charged political debate.