London work visas 'could combat Brexit effect in the capital'

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A groundbreaking plan to allow EU nationals to continue working in London through a capital-specific visa scheme has been proposed by business leaders.

The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) wants employers in London to be able to sponsor skilled foreign workers for visas after Britain leaves the EU.

Under the scheme, EU workers would receive London-specific national insurance numbers that prevent them from working elsewhere in the country.

If they left or lost their job there would be a 60-day window to find another one before they are deported.

Sean McKee, LCCI policy director, said: “Our city would collapse without migrants. We need an immigration policy that is slightly different for London.

“The biggest issue by far [for businesses] is skills and staff. It is vital to London’s future that a degree of flexibility is applied if the government amends the UK immigration system.”

There are concerns among London's businesses that Brexit may lead to a shortage of skilled workers in some areas. 

EU nationals currently represent around 25 per cent of London’s workforce, according to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

If the current immigration rules for non-EU citizens are extended to apply to EU citizens then three quarters of the UK’s EU workforce would not meet the criteria to stay.

However, the government has not yet specified exactly what immigration rules will apply for EU citizens.

As well as a plan for welcoming new mrigant workers to London, the LCCI wants current foreign workers to be given assurances they can remain after Britain leaves the EU.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed on-going discussions about the possibility of a London work visa.

He previously said: “We are talking to business leaders, businesses, business representatives to see what we can do to make sure London doesn't lose out on the talent, the innovation, the partnership that has let us be the greatest city in the world.”

"The good news is the Government gets it. The good news is in all the conversations I've had with members of the Government, from the Chancellor to the Brexit Secretary to the Foreign Secretary and others in Government, I think they get it."

A spokesman for the mayor told the Financial Times this week he “has been pressing the government to develop a solution to the current failings in the visa system which create too many barriers to London’s businesses".

London voted overwhelming - by 59 per cent - to remain on June 26, prompting calls to declare the capital a separate state to the rest of the UK.

Mr Kahn has dismissed the idea of indpendence for London but in July he launched his ‘London is open’ campaign to encourage visitors and investment to the capital, with the support of leading figures from the world of art, business and sport.