BREXIT could see even higher immigration after a minister hinted that visas could be granted as part of future trade deals.
Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes refused to say today whether countries could be offered special concessions in order to secure a partnership after we leave the bloc.
Britain is set to embark on trade deals with countries around the world - and is also looking to secure a deal with the EU - once we quit the EU in 2019.
But the future immigration system has yet to be ironed out, Ms Nokes told MPs on the European Scrutiny Committee today.
Labour MP Geraint Davies asked her whether ministers had ruled out "movement of labour concessions in future trade deals" or whether it was something that could be allowed.
But in a hint that visas could be offered in exchange for a good trading partnership, she replied: "That is absolutely a matter for future immigration policy and the movement of labour with EU countries... absolutely part of the negotiations."
The Immigration Minister was pressed a further three times for clarity on the subject, but still she wouldn't rule it out.
"So it might be the case that extra immigrants would be let in as part of a trade deal?" she was asked.
"I cannot say further, I am not going to speculate on future negotiations as part of a future trade deal," she said.
Theresa May has repeatedly said we will be able to take back control of our borders once we leave the EU.
And the Tories have kept their pledge to try and get numbers of people coming to the UK less than 100,000 every year.
At the moment there are caps on the number of people from outside the EU who can come to Britain, but there is no cap on the number of people from inside the EU who can come to live, work or study here.
Applicants have a better chance of getting in if they are trying to work in a sector which has a national shortage of workers.
After we leave the EU, Britain will design a whole new system to deal with immigration - but minister's plans have been repeatedly pushed back.
"Our future immigration policy is exactly that, ours," Ms Nokes said, insisting that it was not for the EU to tell us what it should be like.
Figures of EU nationals working in the UK surged to a new high last year, statistics showed today.
But it also revealed there was a 53,000 fall in eastern European states like Poland and Hungary coming to work in the bloc.
Ms Nokes could not tell MPs today what the future immigration system after we leave the EU will look like.
She said that a system for registering EU nationals once we leave should be in place by the Autumn, ready for March 2019.
And that anyone coming to Britain after that point would be face different rules.
Ms Nokes said that more details would be available "in the coming months".
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5635394/b ... for-trade/