Britain’s post-Brexit immigration rules worry business

BRITAIN NEEDS more ballerinas, biochemists and welders—but only “high integrity pipe welders” with at least three years’ experience. These are among the occupations which appear on the official “shortage occupation list” (SOL), which is central to the government’s planned new immigration rules.

The new system will treat migrants equally, regardless of where they hail from. Europeans will no longer benefit from freedom of movement, but the bar to entry from the rest of the world will fall: prospective migrants will require the equivalent of A-levels, not degrees. The government claims it will let in more talented folks while reducing total numbers.

The plan was billed as a “points-based system”, but it is not as flexible as that implies. Most migrants will need to speak English and have a job offer with a prospective salary of more than £25,600 ($33,245). Exceptions to the threshold will only be made for brainiacs with PhDs and those with jobs on the SOL. English-speaking ballerinas with a doctorate are in luck.

Firms have welcomed the removal of a cap on migrant numbers, the opening up of routes for skilled workers and the lowering of the £30,000 salary threshold initially mooted. But they fret about shortages in some industries. The unemployment rate is just 3.8% and there are more than 800,...