Overseas staff would be able to work in Britain for up to six months without applying for a visa under new proposals.
A blueprint for the UK’s post-Brexit arrangements suggests the creation of a new short-term immigration category.
The recommendation, detailed in a report from representative body TheCityUK and professional services firm EY, would allow international workers, including European nationals after the end of free movement, to transfer to their employer’s UK office for up to six months.
The category would be open to those who are taking up training posts, providing temporary cover for a UK role, supporting internal projects or delivering services to a UK-based client.
Employers would be required to assign a certificate of sponsorship prior to travel and meet certain criteria, including a minimum salary.
The paper emphasised the purpose of the scheme would be to support temporary work placements, not to fill permanent roles.
It said: “This will enable international employers to utilise their highly agile, flexible ‘global’ workforce to fill short-term needs in the UK, including internal facing project work, short-term cover and receiving on-the-job training, often at extremely short notice.”
Last week statistics revealed an estimated 2.29 million EU nationals were working in the UK from January to March – a fall of 28,000 compared with a year earlier and the first annual decrease in eight years.
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