Responding on 22 February to the latest ONS immigration stats, which show a fall in EU net migration with an upsurge in EU nationals leaving the UK - the highest in a decade - Migrant Voice Director, Nazek Ramadan said:
"We are not surprised at the numbers of EU nationals who have decided to leave. The reason people have left and more will be leaving is due to the ongoing uncertainty and anxiety about their rights and future in the UK.
This is worrying as we know EU workers fill jobs in important industries which are already having shortages of workers and struggling to recruit people – such as nursing, farming, construction, hospitality, and academia.
The UK Government’s public statements and assurances of EU nationals’ rights are meaningless as they do not give clear and concrete details as to the process and nothing is yet legally binding.
We call on the UK government to guarantee EU nationals’ rights and make it legally binding and remove the issue from the Brexit negotiations so in the event of a no-deal their rights are guaranteed.
The Government's muddle and the blanket anti-migration policies it is pursuing are not only unjust on migrants but are damaging this country and the welfare and well-being of Brits.”
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