The United Kingdom intends to stop free movement of people immediately after it officially leaves the European Union, a leaked document from the Home Office obtained by the Guardian on Tuesday showed. The document, which is titled Border, Immigration and Citizenship System After the UK Leaves the European Union, says all EU citizens will have to show passports when entering Britain after Brexit is completed.
The paper claims the UK should put its workers first after Brexit. "Put plainly, this means that, to be considered valuable to the country as a whole, immigration should benefit not just the migrants themselves but also make existing residents better off," the document states. It stipulates "lower-skilled" should only be granted the status of residents for up to two years, while those with "high-skilled occupations" should be able to obtain work permits for a period of three to five years.
In August, the Home Office came under fire for sending nearly 100 deportation letters to European Union citizens in Britain ordering them to leave the country within a month. Prime Minister Theresa May apologized about the incident and called it an "unfortunate error."
