Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of new immigration rules for UK nationals seeking seasonal work outside tourism in the EU.

Seasonal work is not a category normally featured in free trade agreements. However, temporary work routes were negotiated in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), as featured in the chapter on entry and temporary stay. These include: short-term business visitors; intra-company transferees; and those providing services under contract, whether as an employee or a self-employed professional.

The contractual service suppliers and independent (self-employed) professionals categories are most likely to offer appropriate routes to seasonal workers. The TCA ensures both the UK and the EU offer length of stays of up to 12 months (with a limited number of exceptions in some Member States) and guarantees market access for a range of economic sectors, subject to qualification requirements and Member State reservations. Specifically, our agreement with the EU includes sectoral coverage for contractual services suppliers who provide tourist guides services, and travel agency and tour operator services. This mirrors commitments taken by the UK in our recent trade deal with Japan.

The TCA also eases some burdens on business travellers, such as: removing the need for work permits for some short-term trips, and reducing the number of economic needs tests a country could impose to block access to exporters, which will also help seasonal workers.