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Brexit

Freedom of movement with Aus, NZ and Canada, post Brexit?

139 replies

Mackerz · 20/09/2019 17:09

www.canzukinternational.com/category/free-movement

This is interesting. As part of a post Brexit trade deal, Britain and Australia are considering relaxing immigration controls between the two countries.

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Peregrina · 21/09/2019 07:36

Canada, NZ and Australia are all very similar countries to the UK

Do we just mean White Commonwealth here - where the indigenous population got swamped by "settlers"?

dirtyrottenscoundrel · 21/09/2019 07:39

Great news.

Parker231 · 21/09/2019 07:59

Why should an Australians be given freedom of movement to the UK when it’s being taken away from Europeans?

Thegrasscouldbegreeener · 21/09/2019 08:03

I love this idea!!!

Appeals to me far more than any other FOM options we have at the moment, and it makes complete sense given the strong hisotrical links we have with these countries.

I personally think it is a very exciting possibility for our young people, and families too. It would work very well both ways.

I hope the UK signs up for this post brexit

dirtyrottenscoundrel · 21/09/2019 08:07

Why should an Australians be given freedom of movement to the UK when it’s being taken away from Europeans?

Europeans should never have been given preference in the first place. Totally unfair.

Now we can take whoever we want from anywhere in the world. Brilliant!

Parker231 · 21/09/2019 08:08

India has said it expects free movement of people to be a part of any post Brexit trade deal with the UK.

Heyboyo · 21/09/2019 08:09

I’d love this. I’d be in Australia straight away

bellinisurge · 21/09/2019 08:12

@Thegrasscouldbegreeener we also have "historical links" with the Indian subcontinent. Can see all the Quitlings loving FOM as part of trade deals with the economic powerhouse that is India.
Google Boxer Rebellion while you are at it to see our "historical link" with China.

dirtyrottenscoundrel · 21/09/2019 08:13

India has said it expects free movement of people to be a part of any post Brexit trade deal with the UK

Great! Why many people from India voted to leave the EU. Smile

Peregrina · 21/09/2019 08:14

I don't see why Australians, Canadians or New Zealanders should be given freedom of movements. Except it's the old Empire thing again.

Most Canadians I know here have tenuous links - a grandparent was from the UK. I can't seen why themselves should be more entitled to come here than say a Spaniard who comes here for work, marries, brings up a family for 40 years. Such people are now on tenterhooks wondering what their status will be.

BrokenLogs · 21/09/2019 08:17

I've read this recently, but only from UK websites. I don't believe it's being mentioned in Aus.

I don't think it will happen, I think it's the UK government trying to soften the blow of FOM for Europe being taken away from the UK.

DippyAvocado · 21/09/2019 08:21

If Australia, New Zealand and Canada wanted FoM with the UK, this could have been arranged at any time while we were members of the EU. Why should they suddenly want it now? What benefit is there to them? Sounds like a fantasy spread by the sort of people who wish we still had an Empire - although they're only interested in going to the white bits of course.

Free movement of labour inside the EU (EU regulations state FoM is for workers not people in general, unless they are self-supporting) works alongside the free movement of goods and services. It is part of the economic efficiency of the free trade area. Aus/NZ and Canada are too distant geographically from the UK for such an arrangement to make any economic sense and there is no reason for Freedom of Movement of workers without the other freedoms alongside.

zsazsajuju · 21/09/2019 08:25

I would be in favour of having freedom of movement with Canada, Australia and NZ but I don’t think it will happen any time soon not least because of opposition within those countries. We could have done this from within the EU and we are now losing the benefit of the EU Canada trade deal which took about 10 years to negotiate.

Mackerz · 21/09/2019 08:28

@BrokenLogs

I saw the link because one of my Aussie friends had posted it on Facebook.

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Songsofexperience · 21/09/2019 08:29

it makes complete sense given the strong hisotrical links we have with these countries.

Right because we only have 1000+ years history with the rest of Europe...

I have to say it highlights a fundamental misunderstanding of what FOM is about. Just granting visas for the sake of it sounds puerile, like we don't like YOU (to other Europeans) let's be pals with YOU over there.

bellinisurge · 21/09/2019 08:32

Maybe someone should tell those numpties who voted Brexit to "get rid of Muslims" that India also wants FOM with a trade deal.

Mackerz · 21/09/2019 08:34

@bellinisurge

Just because India wants freedom of movement with a trade deal, doesn’t mean India is going to get freedom of movement with a trade deal.

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bellinisurge · 21/09/2019 08:34

Ditto Australia @Mackerz

Mackerz · 21/09/2019 08:48

@bellinisurge

Freedom of movement with Australia is more likely because it is more politically acceptable.

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Mackerz · 21/09/2019 08:52

@Heyboyo

Australia is a great place. I never settled though, too far away from family.

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Mackerz · 21/09/2019 08:54

Britain will surely not agree to that with India though. Canada, NZ and Australia are all very similar countries to the UK - fully developed, strong economies, good standard of living, welfare state, state-funded education, good healthcare, etc and relatively small, well-educated populations. India has a billion people and is none of those things. Millions would come - quite literally.

@bellinisurge Great comment from @zafferana above.

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Parker231 · 21/09/2019 09:07

India has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The UK want a trade deal with them. Freedom of movement is what India wants in return.

zafferana · 21/09/2019 09:10

I have to say it highlights a fundamental misunderstanding of what FOM is about. Just granting visas for the sake of it sounds puerile, like we don't like YOU (to other Europeans) let's be pals with YOU over there.

I don't think it's about 'we like you' or 'we don't like you' or brushing aside our historic ties with European nations. It's true that we've had treaties and allegiances with some of them for centuries, but Australia, NZ and Canada are part of the Commonwealth. They're nations that have a much stronger tie to us than France or Germany or Poland has ever had. Our monarch is their monarch, they're former territories of the British Empire. Their populations are made up of significant numbers of people who emigrated to those countries from the UK and so there are millions of Brits who continue to have close family ties to one or more of those nations.

And there is the reason I stated above - that these nations are a lot like us from an economic and a standard of living viewpoint - so they're nations we can have an equal relationship with. Unlike countries in Eastern Europe, where we are the wealthier partner who attracted large numbers of people to come here, chances are that that won't happen with Australian, NZ and Canada. Instead, our populations will be free to go and back forth without significant numbers permanently moving in just one direction. India is not an equal partner in the same way, nor is there a sizeable population of former Britons residing there. It would be another unequal relationship of the type Britain wouldn't want post-Brexit. A major reason for Brexit is the huge number of people who have arrived here recently. Any government going forward is going to be eager to avoid that situation repeating, as it's not a vote winner!

zafferana · 21/09/2019 09:12

And yes, I know India is very eager to relax visa restrictions with the UK, but I guarantee there won't be free movement, because it would be 99.99% in one direction.

Parker231 · 21/09/2019 09:15

It would be for industry and the NHS as they want the skills and experience workers from India and the subcontinent can bring to the UK. If they can come to work and live in the UK without a visa and bring their family with them, it will probably attract them to coming to the UK.

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