The British government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) in July 2017 to advise on “the economic and social impacts of Brexit and on how the U.K.’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy”. The MAC has published a “Call for Evidence” and a briefing note in response to the government’s commission paper.

What is the MAC?

The MAC was established in 2007 as a non-departmental public body. It is an independent body, comprising of a secretariat of economists, immigration and labour market experts, researchers and policy officials, all of whom came together as the MAC to advise and make recommendations (not policy) on migration issues to the government.

What Is the Call for Evidence?

The Call for Evidence asks public stakeholders with experience in this area for clarification and evidence (where possible) for the MAC to consider as part of its response to the government's commissioning paper. The evidence requested is extensive and divided into three categories of questions (see extract below for the full list of questions):

• European Economic Area (EEA) Migration Trends
• Recruitment Practices, Training and Skills
• Economic, Social and Fiscal Impacts

Why Should Your Company Respond to the MAC?

If your company employs a high number of EEA nationals, this is a rare opportunity to have a meaningful influence on immigration policy. This consultation may influence directly the direction of U.K. immigration post-Brexit. Your response can help define the future of foreign nationals in the U.K. post-Brexit.

In conjunction to responding to the MAC, it may be a good idea for your business to audit all current employees’ immigration status, skill levels and their job roles. When undertaking such an exercise, employers should be careful not to do anything that is or could be perceived as discriminatory towards or against any particular section of their workforce.

Response Deadline and Instructions

The MAC has asked for the responses to its call for evidence to be submitted by 27 October 2017. The MAC then has until September 2018 to report its findings to the Home Secretary.

We encourage all companies who wish to participate to get their responses to the MAC as early as possible. It may also be prudent for companies to have immigration counsel review their responses prior to submission.

Parties can send their responses via email or mail to the Migration Advisory Committee office:

Email: MAC@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Mailing address:

Migration Advisory Committee
2nd Floor
Peel Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

Extract – Call for Evidence: MAC Commission