New immigration plans fail self-employed

The Government's new immigration rules are seriously flawed because they do not adequately cover the self-employed, according to a warning by freelancer group, IPSE.

The post-Brexit immigration rules have come under fire from many quarters with industry leaders warning it could be an 'absolute disaster' for British business. Andy Chamberlain from IPSE said: "If the new immigration rules are meant to ensure the 'best and brightest' come to the UK, they have made a fatal error: they have failed to make decent provision for the self-employed.

"In fact, the Government has explicitly said it will not create a dedicated route for self-employed people. Instead, freelancers must filter themselves through other tortuous routes such as the 'innovation visa', which requires a 'new idea' and £50,000 in funds.

"So far, there does not seem to be any explicit provision for the skilled contractors that drive innovation in the UK. This is a fatal flaw: the Government must urgently rethink its approach and set up a dedicated self-employed route.

"Otherwise, it risks not only hampering the flexible labour market in the UK, but also prompting the EU to take a similarly draconian approach to British contractors."