Britain could leave door open for EU migrants under 30

EU MIGRANTS who are under the age of 30 could be handed two-year visas that give them the right to live and work in the UK after Brexit under plans being considered by a governmentcommissioned review.

The Migration Advisory Committee, an independent body, was commissioned to review the economic costs and benefits of EU migration and examine potential border controls.

In a report published yesterday, the committee suggested that Britain could follow a similar approach to that of New Zealand, Australia and Canada and give preferential status to migrants aged between 18 and 30.

The report says: “There are a number of reasons for this – younger migrants have a longer working life ahead of them so have a higher chance of making a net positive contribution to the public finances, and they are perhaps considered to assimilate more successfully.”

It suggests that young migrants could be given more “points” as part of a new migration system, increasing their chance of coming to the UK, or be given a “lower salary threshold” for the amount they must earn before being allowed to settle in the UK.

The report also highlights a current scheme in the UK that allows people aged between 18 and 30 from nations including Australia, Canada and New Zealand to enter the UK on a twoyear visa.

It says that the scheme gives people similar rights to free movement, although migrants cannot use it to settle permanently in the UK.

The review also considers other border controls such as regional schemes, which would offer migrants who want to live and work outside London a lower salary threshold “to take into account regional variations in living costs and pay”.