Ambassador urges Italians to prepare for new UK immigration rules

Europe-wide awareness campaign to help prepare European citizens for the implementation of the UK’s new Immigration System from 1 January 2021.

The UK Government has launched a Europe-wide awareness campaign to help prepare European citizens for the implementation of the UK’s new Immigration System from 1 January 2021, and the launch of new routes on 1 December 2020.
Free movement between the EU and the UK will end at 11pm on 31 December EEA and Swiss citizens will no longer have the automatic right to live in the UK.  

The UK will introduce a new, points-based immigration system that treats people from all parts of the world equally, prioritising skills and talent over where a person comes from. 

Italian nationals who do not already live in the UK, or have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, will need to meet specific requirements and apply for a visa through the new immigration system, in order to study or work in the UK. 

The campaign, which has been translated to cater for all nationalities,  is set to run across various channels throughout November and into December, with a second phase planned for early 2021.

It encourages Italian citizens to visit the UK Government website where further information about how they can apply to work or study in the UK is available. 

Under the new rules, EU citizens will be able to continue to visit the UK without applying for a visa and in most cases, will be able to stay for up to 6 months. The changes will not impact the rights of those who have been granted status through the EU Settlement Scheme. 

Ambassador Jill Morris said:
“Our new system sends a message to the whole world that Britain is open for business. We want to continue to encourage top talent from around the world and indeed from Italy, to bring their skills to the UK. 

“We want to welcome the talented students from Italy who will no doubt benefit from studying at our world leading universities. 

“It’s important Italians know about how changes will impact them coming to the UK and I would urge everyone to take the time to see what they need to.” 

The awareness campaign will direct people to information about the changes on the UK Government’s website, which has been translated into Italian and 23 other different languages. 

Italian nationals looking to move to the UK after 31 December 2020 should visit gov.uk.

Notes  for editors

• under the new system, EU citizens will be able to continue to visit the UK without applying for a visa and in most cases, will be able to stay for up to six months. Visitors may participate in a wide range of activities, including tourism, visiting family and friends, short term study and business-related activities
• information on coming to the UK after January 1 2021 is available here GOV.UK/MovingToTheUK
• the changes apply to all 30 EU and EEA countries and Switzerland
• Irish citizens will continue to be able to enter and live in the UK as they do now