UK to discriminate between EU countries on fees for work visas

Following the end of free movement, European Economic Area nationals must apply for a work visa in order to take up a job in Britain. But not all of them pay the same.

Irish citizens do not need work visas because of the Common Travel Area with the U.K., but five EU countries are not eligible for reduced fees: Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia.

Some of these EU countries are now demanding help from the European Commission to tackle the difference, arguing Brussels cannot allow the U.K. to breach the EU’s long-standing principle of non-discrimination among member countries.

The EU envoys are piling pressure on the Commission, saying this is the first example of the U.K.’s post-Brexit immigration rules treating EU nationals differently on the basis of their nationality. They warned post-Brexit Britain is likely to discriminate between EU citizens in other looming mobility decisions, for instance, when it decides whichcountries can participate in its Youth Mobility scheme — currently open to nine developed economies outside the bloc.

“In a couple of years’ time, depending who has negotiated what, different EU citizens will have different access to different programs and at a different cost,” a third diplomat said.

The same diplomat added: “The reduced visa fees controversy is just the first issue of a number of them which are simmering beneath the surface but will come to the fore sooner or later. It will be interesting to see if there’s going to be EU-wide coordination on this or not. It all goes back to: Are we all the same or suddenly we are not? Are we going to live up to EU solidarity? Are we going to stick together? There’s no EU competence on this so it throws the ball back to member states.”