Free UK-EU movement to end in March 2019

The free movement of people between the European Union (EU) and the UK will end in March 2019 after the introduction of a new immigration system, a minister announced on Thursday.

Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis made the remarks while speaking to the BBC about a government commissioned "detailed assessment" of the costs and benefits of EU migrants.

The assessment is due to be completed in September 2018 - six months before the UK's scheduled date for leaving the EU.

However, he did not give details of how the government plans to manage migration after Brexit, saying these would be revealed in a white paper later this year, and that the immigration bill would go through Parliament in 2018.

Immigration was one of the central topics of last year's EU referendum campaign, and ministers have promised to "take back control" of the UK borders as they negotiate Brexit.

The Home Office has asked the advisory committee to consider the regional distribution of EU migration, which sectors are most reliant on it, and the role of temporary and seasonal workers, the BBC reported.

The committee will also study the "economic and social costs and benefits of EU migration to the UK economy", its impact on competitiveness, and whether there would be benefits to focusing migration on high-skilled jobs.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "We will ensure we continue to attract those who benefit us economically, socially and culturally.

"But, at the same time, our new immigration system will give us control of the volume of people coming here - giving the public confidence we are applying our own rules on who we want to come to the UK and helping us to bring down net migration to sustainable levels."

--IANS

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