EU and non-EU citizens will be treated the same
Prior to Brexit, EU citizens had freedom of movement, which gave them the same working rights as UK citizens did. But considering Brexit will render the UK as no longer a part of the EU, they'll treat both EU and non-EU citizens the same.
This means that if you're an EU citizen, you'll no longer get to enjoy a points-free system should you immigrate after the 1st of January 2021.
However, if you're already there before the transition period is over, you'll benefit from the Settlement Scheme. This allows you to stay and work in the country, even if you're not in a highly-skilled field.
Emphasis on highly-skilled workers
To reduce their overall migration numbers, the UK will focus on giving priority to highly-skilled workers. So you can expect professionals like scientists and engineers to obtain more points based solely on their skills.
On the other hand, there won't be a general low-skilled or temporary work scheme available. This is because the UK wants to focus on highly-skilled labour instead of cheap labour.
The points system
The points system is as follows:
As you can see, there's a minimum wage requirement, as well as an English proficiency one. The maximum amount of points you can get is 110 if you earn a salary of £25,600 or above and have a PhD in a STEM subject relevant to your job.
To be eligible to immigrate to the UK for work, you must accumulate at least 70 points. Some characteristics are tradeable, as indicated by the chart.
What this means for expats
Undoubtedly, this new points-based immigration policy will make it harder for expats to migrate to the UK, especially EU citizens. If you are one and don't work in a highly-skilled field, then you might want to consider relocating before the 1st of January 2021.
If that isn't feasible, then it still might be possible to move to the UK based on your spouse's highly-skilled work. You can then come with them based on family reunification and find a job in your field.
Otherwise, you might want to think about going back to school and training for a career that's considered in shortage by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). For instance, there's a large number of vacancies in community health services when it comes to the NHS. So if you train for a career in that field, not only will you fulfil the characteristic for “job in a shortage occupation”, but you'll most likely earn a salary of £25,600 or above as well, which will garner you another 20 points.
If you're not currently fluent in English, it may be a good time to start taking classes and practising your language skills. Not only can this open the door for opportunities in the UK, but in the whole world, considering English is a widely spoken and universal language. Should you not be able to fulfil your dream of immigrating to the UK, you can still look at expatriating to other countries if you have decent English skills.
