Should the UK return to EU free movement?

[EEexpat]

Advantages and disadvantages?

Not at all. I'm saying if you want to go to a country so so much, apply for the appropriate visa.

Accepting FOM means accepting the single market and imposing EU regulations on many UK businesses.

NO!!! We have enough leaches leaching off the uk!!

“Make it” - lol. By magic? The world doesn’t work that way. We were lucky someone wanted to do these jobs within the budget that was there to pay them.

Yes definitely return!

I don’t disagree but if it’s a fairly generic role it’s far less costly unless it’s total specialist and quicker and less hassle just to recruit within the EU , especially if you need someone bum on seat within 6 weeks

yes and no - for Netherlands and France US have preferential treatment and treaties - Netherlands is a piece of piss for them - you imply it’s just paperwork and you get accepted in a timely way - nope, it isn’t like that at all in the vast majority of the EU, those who think it is like this are not British and applying post Brexit - quite a lot of places have nomad visas - but to be honest not the places most people still working woukd move to and it’s difficult to rent or feel secure if you have to keep re registering every year and for those where it’s connected to a specific job - if you lose your job or your income drops below a certain level you are out on your backside within 3 months

@Crikeyalmighty

Netherlands has a 30% tax concession for entrepreneurs. Italy offers 50% tax concessions for four years.

@Crikeyalmighty

Is there any evidence the majority of people in the UK WANT, or more significantly NEED, to live and work in the EU? For example, when UK was part of the Erasmus scheme, it was used by 18,000 students out of a population of 200,000. Less than 1%.

Likewise, about 1.2 million UK citizens live in the EU. That’s less than 2% of the population. Again, a tiny amount.

Netherlands 30% tax concession is only for salaries over a pretty high amount - Italy? I like Italy but my husband has dismissed anywhere that’s really hot in summer whilst we are still working - we were going to go to Netherlands but changed our mind as it’s pretty impossible to rent a nice home in a nice and suitable area - still may go to Sweden or Germany - I do get that our situation is different from many as we have an EU centric business - it’s our biggest market along with UK - I also really enjoyed living in Copenhagen - so for me tax isn’t the biggie, I don’t mind if people point out that its still doable, I do mind though when they give false information about how easy it is - ( just a bit of paperwork) it really isn’t and it isn’t very secure whichever way you do it for quite a number of years.

My friend moved back to Italy for this very reason. He was a senior IT manager, and took a lower paying position, which was cushioned by the tax incentive.

If it's a lot of paperwork then it's a lot of paperwork. People do move. So many Indians seek out careers abroad and fill out visa forms and applications.

It’s coming for every sector!

A Dutch start-up has developed autonomous, AI-driven bricklaying robots to work on real construction sites in the Netherlands, including houses, schools, and apartment/commercial projects, using computer vision and sensors to assist with heavy, repetitive bricklaying, alongside human construction teams.

@Crikeyalmighty

Yes, the tax concessions are aimed at those with skills that countries don’t have, or are in short supply. No point of offering such concessions too unskilled workers when countries already have people who are not working.

I think AntsLikeSugar point is that if people have the skill countries need, there are Visa routes that employers/entrepreneurs can pursue if they wish to work in other countries.

I am a UK passport holder, but have lived and worked in the following countries:

India (3 times totalling 7 years)
UAE 2 years
Mauritius 3 years
Malaysia 2.5 years
Kazakhstan 6 years
Iraq 3.5 years
Bulgaria 4 years
USA 2.5 years

That is kinda awesome

No one needs to live in the EU I suppose,
but it’s good to live in a country where yes, the taxes may be high, but you can see your gp within one or two days for €4 a visit thanks to obligatory non-profit insurance, hospital care is excellent, the public transport system is coordinated and excellent, everyone has access to a reasonably good standard of education, even university studies are free, and although housing may be pricey in the capitals, there are lots of good areas in nearby towns where you can raise a family in rented accommodation or reasonably priced houses, the social care system hasn’t been destroyed, and the rubbish collection and recycling system is fantastic, the state offers subsidised sporting and arts activities to dc one afternoon a week, and each large village or town has a hall that you can hire at a reduced rate for family or community events.

Then if it's so great apply for the visa and go then?

Yes please. I would like to be able to go wherever I want to live, I have money to do so, Portugal will give us a visa but i would prefer France really. We don’t need to work (older) and happy to take out comprehensive health insurance and will keep our house because of family commitments in the uk, just don’t want to have the issue of visas, counting weeks etc. hate the uk winter

@Onesizefitsallornot

All the things you list can be done in any country if people prepared to pay the high taxes.

@bababamama

If you have a residence visa granted in Portugal, you should be able to go to the other EU countries without hindrance. France will give you a Visa if can demonstrate you have sufficient income to live on.

I would love to see the return of freedom of movement. It cost us almost £1,000 to get our daughter's visa to study in Spain, and a lot of hassle with notaries, professional translators, not to mention the time it took (3 months). Pre-Brexit, she could have just gone.

Both my children would love to work inside the EU, but for me it is just the principle of it. We had something so precious taken away.

Costs of getting work done on your house have skyrocketed since Brexit. And let's not forget the cost of living pressures, the end of cabotage has cauased, as everything is more expensive to bring to the UK now the same driver cannot pick up a truck of tomatoes in Spain and drive it to Scotland (for example). I do appreciate that British lorry drivers, scaffolders and builders have benefitted from being able to push up prices, but the people who have to play for those inflated prices have not.

So you want to undercut British tradespeople with cheaper labour? That is why people voted against Brexit to stop foreign labour flooding in so people could do cheaper building work. They the. Often take the money they have earned and send it straight out the country.

if be happy to have students move easily but I absolutely would not want to go back to the bad days of cheap u skilled labour coming in which caused cloak firms not to train up any UK born young people

All so her daughter can go to Spain easier right?

It works both ways though! There are literally thousands of UK small and medium
sized businesses that used to supply EU markets which have just stopped exporting abroad altogether.

My British EU relations with dual passports used to buy clothes, antiques, cards, Christmas presents, specialist food items, curtains, furnishings, you name it from British companies, and still want to, but it’s no longer possible save for a couple of clothing brands which can be sold via Next EU and other outlets.

There's a free trade deal in place

Well at least the EU countries with identity cards actually know which specific people are passing through their borders and they can count the numbers. We can’t even do that! It can take the police a lot of ringing around and admin to establish a suspect’s identity before they even start investigating their crime!

Yes French police can stop anyone at any time and do an identity check.