U.K. May Have to Accept EU Free Movement for Years, Report Says
- Think tank says developing a new system by 2019 ‘unfeasible’
- Up to 5,000 civil servants may be needed to process claims
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Britain may be forced to keep the free movement of people from the European Union for years after it leaves the bloc because introducing controls will be so be complex, an influential independent think tank said.
The successful implementation of a new immigration system by Britain’s 2019 Brexit deadline is “unfeasible” and the U.K. should keep the current system until a replacement has been finalized, the Institute for Government said in a report published Thursday. The process for registering EU nationals is “not fit for purpose” and as many as 5,000 extra civil servants may be needed to deal with a deluge of residency applications, it said.