by LAUREN CODLING HIGHLY-SKILLED professionals from India and other south Asian countries will no longer face visa caps when migrating to Britain as the UK cabinet agreed to drop current rules that give preferential treatment to workers from the EU. Citizens from the other 27 European Union member states are currently free to live and work in Britain under the bloc’s freedom of movement rules, but this will end after Brexit. A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The cabinet agreed that once free movement is brought to an end, the government will be able to introduce a new system which works in the best interests of the UK, including by helping to boost productivity.” Prime minister Theresa May is expected to make further announcements on additional immigration rules at her Conservative party’s conference which is due to take place in Birmingham next week. Last week, official advisers recommended prioritising high-skilled migrant workers coming to Britain after Brexit. They also said there should be no preferential treatment for workers from the EU. Theresa May is expected to make further announcements on additional immigration rules at her Conservative party’s conference On Monday (24), Alan Manning of the Migration Advisory Committee, briefed the cabinet on his plan that recommends “supporting a system based on skills rather than nationality”. However, as home secretary Sajid Javid announced proposals for restrictions on the number of low-skilled migrants coming to the UK after Britain leaves the EU, the chancellor opposed the proposition. Philip Hammond argued that a plan to reduce the number of low-skilled migrants could lead to labour shortages in parts of the economy. An Asian peer who has campaigned for students and business owners outside the EU told Eastern Eye on Tuesday (25) that although the latest policies on highly-skilled migrants was a good move, more…
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