Australia blanks post-Brexit expat free movement deal

If you’re banking on getting a job in Australia once Brexit is a done deal, you’re out of luck.

Dashing the hopes of would-be British expats hoping to head for Oz, the Australian government has put paid to any expansion of visa-free work between the two countries. It had been hoped a new post-Brexit trade package would include some form of free movement of workers between the two countries, thus circumventing established immigration caps, but the Australian government have killed the proposal stone dead.

According to Oz’s Trade Minister, it’s certain that several changes to work rights will be proposed and accepted, but unfettered free movement won’t be on the table under any circumstances. The minister pointed out full negotiations were not yet in place, but added it’s most unlikely that migration liberalisation and labour rights would be part of any agenda. At present, Australia and New Zealand have a free movement deal, but Australia seems very unlikely to extend this privilege to British expat workers or retirees, even although Boris Johnson advocated a visa-free scheme whilst he was London’s mayor.

One of Australia’s major concerns over free movement between the two countries is that the result is likely to be the loss of highly trained and talented Australians to the UK and an influx of low-skilled British workers to Australia. It’s possible existing immigration law may be tweaked to allow more flexibility, but it seems the main focus for Australia is a free trade agreement allowing easier access for Australian exports to the lucrative UK marketplace.