People

How Brexit affects staff recruitment and retention

Essential information on employing EU staff and sending staff to the EU after Brexit.

A new points-based immigration system is now in force. Employers need a sponsor licence to hire most workers from outside the UK and anyone coming to the UK for work must meet a specific set of requirements for which they will score points. Visas are awarded to those who gain enough points.  There is specific guidance on seasonal agricultural workers coming to pick fruit and vegetables on farms.

This is the guidance for businesses on employing EU, EEA and Swiss citizens in the UK, including those that are already here. It covers right to work checks and the EU Settlement Scheme. There is also information for employees who are EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who want to stay in the UK and a tool to find out what they must do and when. Different arrangements apply for Irish citizens. There is additional advice for frontier workers, defined as EU, EEA or Swiss citizens who are employed or self-employed in the UK but live elsewhere.

There is an Employer Toolkit to enable businesses to support staff applying to the Settlement Scheme, posters to raise awareness of the scheme,  information to share with employees, an explanatory video, a video on using the ID verification app, a step-by-step guide to what employees should do next, a link to start an EU Settlement Scheme application, and guidance on how to provide evidence of UK residence. Once they have applied, there is guidance on processing times.

You can sign-up for email updates on immigration matters.

In addition, the law firm Napthens has produced a summary for employers on the impact of Brexit on your workforce.

There is information for UK nationals living in the EU, EEA EFTA, Switzerland and Ireland, plus specific country-by-country guidance for UK nationals moving to or living in EU or EEA countries. This covers residency, work, access to healthcare and passports.

UK staff working in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland or Liechtenstein can check which country’s social security contributions they must pay.

Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has recorded a podcast and webinar with Lee Petts, an HR consultant, exploring what Brexit means for employers.