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Dissertation 2019- Brunel University London

Brunel Business School MG 5510 Dissertation Academic Year 2018-19 Student ID: 1826077 MSc in Management

PEOPLE’S PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT APPLYING FOR A JOB IN THE UK DURING BREXIT (Impact of Brexit on future work decisions of immigrants in the UK) Brunel University London Brunel Business School Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH United Kingdom Tel: +44(0) 1895 274000 Fax: +44(0) 1895 232806

Acknowledgement

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my dissertation supervisor, Dr Andreas Georgiadis, for his guidance and direction throughout the course of my research. Without his ongoing support, I could not have finished my research. I am indebted to all the participants who engaged in this research and whose valuable perspectives on the topic was crucial in making this dissertation a success. I thank you for your time and consideration. I am deeply thankful to my parents and friends for their constant encouragement and moral support and to my sister, Cherylene, whose suggestions and recommendations enabled the successful completion of this dissertation. Most of all, to the Almighty God, for his endless grace and blessings that he has showered upon me and for the great opportunity of pursuing an MSc in Management at Brunel University, London.

I certify that the work presented in the dissertation is my own unless referenced. Signature:

Date: 9th September 2019

Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………… 1 1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………. 2 1.1 Research Background 1.2 Research Problem 1.3 Aims and Objectives 1.4 Dissertation Framework

2. Literature Review …………………………………………………………………... 8 Introduction 2.1 Motive of Immigrants 2.2 Possible change in the Legal Framework 2.3 Impact on Businesses 2.4 Position of Immigrants Summary

8 8 11 14 19 20

3. Methodology ………………………………………………………………………. 21 Introduction 3.1 Research Approach 3.2 Sampling and Data Collection 3.3 Data Analysis 3.4 Ethical methods and Limitations Summary

21 21 21 23 24 25

4. Research Findings and Analysis …………………………………………………. 26 Introduction 4.1 Aim and Objective 1: Motive for Immigrants to come to the UK 4.1.1 Dimensions of “perspective” and “motive” 4.2 Aim and Objective 2: Impact of Brexit on legal framework and business 4.2.1 Dimensions of “framework” and “business” 4.3 Aim and Objective 3: Attitudes on Brexit, its impact and future plans based on current conditions 4.3.1 Dimensions of “position” and “viewpoint of Brexit”

26 27 27 29 29 33 33

5. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………. 36 5.1 Summary of the main findings 5.2 Contribution of the research and limitation 5.3 Directions for future research

References …………………………………………………………………………. 40 Appendices …………………………………………………………………………. 46

Abstract Purpose - This research comprises of five chapters: 1) Introduction, 2) Literature review, 3) Methodology, 4) Findings and Discussion and 5) Conclusion. The aims and objectives of this research is to investigate on the “Impact of Brexit on future work decisions of immigrants in the UK”. Methodology - This chapter will outline the methods and research methodology supporting the inquiry by adopting a qualitative method. The study will recruit applicants by using a convenience sampling whereby seven participants who are all immigrants in the UK are interviewed using a semi-structured interview process, to seeks insights on their perspective on the topic. Data collection and its analysis is then followed to attain a better understanding. Findings and Discussion - This chapter consists of the findings which include the perspectives and views of the participants engaged in this research. The results from the findings and discussions will follow the aims and objectives of this research and also generate six dimensions to this study: perspective, motive, framework, business, position and viewpoint of Brexit. Conclusion - The overall purpose of the research was aimed at investigating on the topic “Impact of Brexit on future work decisions of immigrants in the UK”. For further pursuit, future research on the topic can attempt to generate different perspectives and attitudes towards how immigrants feel about applying for a job in the UK once the referendum is passed that may support or contradict the findings and discussions in this research. The concluding chapter will be structured as follows: (1) Summary of the main findings, followed by (2) Contribution of the research and limitations and (3) Directions for future research.

Key words - perspective, motive, framework, business, position, viewpoint, Brexit

INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Background 1.2 Research Problem 1.3 Aims and Objectives 1.4 Dissertation Framework

1. Introduction 1.1

Research Background

In a world where the advancements in transportation has reached novel heights, fulfilling the need to travel is much easier. The purpose of travel relates to building social relationships and opportunities to learn and grow which has led many “migrant” individuals to settle at their desired location. In view of the United Kingdom (UK), based on the readings from the article “Brexit and the Impact of Immigration on the UK” the author states that in the last 20 years, immigration has been continually growing at a massive rate out of which a major fraction of the growth has been from other European Union (EU) countries. From 1995 to 2015, the growth of immigrant population has tripled from other EU countries in the UK with a rise of 2.4 million. Of the total population share, the EU nationals has increased from 1.5% to 5.3% and in the basis of working age population (adults 16 to 64 years old) there was also a growth from 1.8% to 6.3%. (Wadsworth and Reenen, 2016) In the article “Euro city London: a qualitative comparison of graduate migration from Germany, Italy and Latvia”, Russell King and the other researchers quote Favell’s perspective on the impact of immigration in the UK which relates to the massive rise of EU population discussed here. Favell states: “A quiet and unstoppable European invasion… has taken place in the latter half of the 1990s… London became the target of mobile young continental Europeans, in fact, the prime destination of European free movement for this particular generation. It started with West Europeans – from France, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Italy – and in the new millennium extended, with enlargement around the corner, to a new wave of East Europeans (Favell, 2008, p. 30, emphasis in original).” (King, 2016) A calculation for determining such changes of immigration is done through Labour Force Survey (LFS) which measures the economic circumstances of home-grown citizens of the UK and compare them with immigrants from other nations and the EU. It is considered a top source of date to explore the impact of immigration with alternative data sources such as the National Insurance number (NI) and the Net immigration. Net immigration is the difference between the 2

number of people entering the UK and the number of people leaving. (Wadsworth and Reenen, 2016) The article “Brexit and the Impact of Immigration on the UK” (Wadsworth and Reenen, 2016) states that in 2004 when the ‘A8’ countries (accession of eight East European countries) joined the EU, an increase of immigration population was felt but due to recession in 2007 it slowed down and fell back. (Figure 1)

The article (Wadsworth and Reenen, 2016) mentions that in the year 2015, there were around 3.3 million EU immigrants living in the UK as compared to the 0.9 million in the year 1995. This accounts for a rise from 1.5% to 5.3% of the population. The EU immigration was totalling to 172,000 (85,000 EU nationals leaving the UK but a substantial 257,000 arriving, excluding the figure of 191,000 net immigration from non-EU countries) where 29% were Polish and 12% were Irish, as for the rest of the EU nationals in the UK there was an even spread all around. (Figure 2) 3

Further, suitable research by David Coleman based on the ethnic minority populations from the year 2006 to 2056 in the UK (Figure 3) explores the several scenarios dependent on the expansion of migration in-flows.

Through (Figure 3) the projected rise of UK minority is noticed from 7,958 (13.1%) in 2006 to 34,322 (44.0%) in 2056, whereby the research is based on the indication of a massive in-flow of immigrants from under develop countries. UK being a developed country with an attraction of the English language (known as a world-wide language) and the rise of economic inequality within the nation may encourage immigration. (Coleman, 2010) With the constant growth of immigrants in the UK, the term “Brexit” was introduced on 23 June 2016 whereby the nation had voted to leave the European Union, while the official notification from the UK was not announced until 29 March 2017. (Bloom and Young, 2018)

Research Problem

The different aspects risen from the referendum of Brexit are – 1) the future relationship of the UK with the EU and other countries concerning immigration laws and how the transition will be if the vote is passed or not, 2) the impact on migrant labour and the influence on large firms in regard to market access, product regulations etc. (Bloom and Young, 2018) and 3) The current position of the immigrants since the referendum was passed. (Rzepnikowska, 2018) 1) Over the past 15 years, immigrants from EU have settled in the UK by seeking or attaining employment through free movement. (Sumption and Fernandez, 2018) The law to attain a work permit in the UK currently is only specified to future employees from overseas and not the EU, whereby an individual would require a sponsorship from their employer based on their skill level. Migrants in a graduate job would require a Tier 2 work visa system with an income of at least £30,000 minimum per annum. (Sumption and Fernandez, 2018) If the government decides to implement a work permit system and end free movement, it will only be a minor part of implementing any new post-Brexit labour migration system as every country has their own work permit system of some kind with different approaches to labour migration in the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). (Vargas-Silva, 2016) 2) A key factor in the UK economy’s capability to compete and grow is due to the nation’s flexible labour market which is enhanced by the abundance of skilled and highly knowledgeable 5

EU and overseas workers. (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2017) Nonetheless the passing of Brexit will play a major role in affecting a company’s recruitment staff to attain the acquired skills needed in a firm as numerous employers are currently reporting that the uncertainty has brought about a negative impact regarding skill shortages and may worsen depending on the shape of the Brexit deal (or no deal). (Adecco Group, 2018) This massive uncertainty is also for entrepreneurship and international business on UK markets and other nations around the world. (Cumming and Zahra, 2016) Such barriers to trade and immigration can damage the influence of entrepreneurship on the growth of UK economy due to fewer alliance building with other entrepreneurs abroad and their investors. (Cumming and Zhang, 2014) 3) The present literature focuses mainly on racism experienced by immigrants and ethnic minorities (non-white) in the UK. However, white privileges disappear with change in perspectives of the public through new policies and media discussions. At this day and age, racism abuse is aimed based on race, location and class with individuals facing xenophobia because of the lack of conversation skills (English) and different accents causing communities in the UK to be against one another. (Rzepnikowska, 2018)

Aims and Objectives

Ever since the introduction of the Brexit referendum, it has since caused a substantial uncertainty for businesses, trade, economy and the perspective of the population in the UK as a whole. (Bloom and Young, 2018) Although currently the Leave vote has not led to any instant changes regarding relations with the rest of the world or the EU and will continue to remain a member of the European Union, such uncertainties are not to be overlooked. (Breinlich and Sampson, 2014) This research intends to investigate the impact of Brexit on the possible change of immigration laws, future unstableness of the workforce concerning immigrant labour and its influence on large businesses and negative perspectives targeted to the immigrant population. The purpose of the research is to elaborate on immigrant’s future work decisions currently living in the UK.

Semi-structured interviews with key participants related to the research will be conducted and addressed in the methodology to gain insights on the perception and attitude of immigrants regarding how they feel about applying for a job in the UK under such conditions. There are three aims and objectives that this research investigates which are stated as follows: (1) Motive for immigrants to come to the UK. (2) Impact of Brexit on legal framework and businesses. (3) Attitudes on Brexit and its impact and future plans based on current conditions.

Dissertation Framework

This research is divided into five chapters: 1: Introduction – This chapter introduces the main topic of this research by highlighting four main sub-headings: research background, research problem, aims and objectives, and dissertation framework. 2: Literature Review – This chapter critically examines the literature surrounding the concepts associated with the aims and objectives of the research: motive of immigrants, possible change in the legal frame work, impact on business, and position of immigrants. 3: Methodology – This section will use convenience sampling to recruit participants and follow semi-structured interviews to provide the following: research approach, sampling and data collection, data analysis, ethical methods and limitations. 4: Research Findings and Analysis – This chapter consists of the findings which include the perspectives and views of the participants engaged in this research. The results from the findings and discussions will follow the aims and objectives of this research while also introducing six dimensions to this study that has been generated from the data collection which include: perspective, motive, framework, business, position and viewpoint of Brexit. Further discussions and analysis on the participants’ responses is carried out that correspond with the literature review. 5: Conclusion – This chapter provides the summary of the main findings, followed by contribution of the research and limitations and directions for future research. 7

2 LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction 2.1 Motive of immigrants 2.2 Possible change in the legal framework 2.3 Impact on businesses 2.4 Position of immigrants Summary

2. Literature Review

Introduction The main purpose of the literature review is to present an in-depth analysis associated with the principal aims and objectives of this research which includes: motives and position of immigrants, possible change in the legal frame work, and impact on business.

2.1 Motive of Immigrants Based on the literature excerpt, scholars suggest that migration from poor nations to rich countries has been more of a common trend among people because of the upward mobility and globalisation. (Sarpong and Maclean, 2018) Millions of individuals are moving from their nation to seek safety for living or find a new settled home abroad because of violence or poverty. (Castles and Miller, 2014) The statistics found on flow of migration is unreliable but as mention in the article “Migration and Globalization: A Feminist Perspective”, close to a 100 million people have left their home nation to live elsewhere for livelihood or safety, a trend more common among female over male in search for improving their lives in developed countries. (Phizacklea, 1998) However, there are also different ambitions for other immigrants such as traveling or seeking asylum, education or employment, to form a civil partnership, to get married or have a dependent living in the nation. (Campbell, 2014) The article “Does it matter why immigrants came here? Original motives, the labour market, and national identity in the UK”, shows the motives of each participated immigrant in their research presented in (Figure 4).

From the literature study, participants include immigrants of 12686 men and 15626 women who settled in the UK for five years with an age range of 21-64. Here ‘employment’ is the highest with a total 33.7% of immigrants, with ‘study’ coming in next of a total 16.3%. Such results are reasonable, due to the vast amount of top universities and companies present in the UK which makes the nation very attractive to immigrants around the world. (Campbell, 2014) Based on the current immigration law governed in the UK there are two different policies – Immigrants from overseas are required to attain work visas meant for different purposes, and Members of the EU countries including Switzerland and EEA can attain employment without any permission needed. Below is the list of visa permits (Home Office, 2011) as follows: •

Tier 1: Includes highly skilled immigrants without a sponsor of an employer. Exampleinvestors, entrepreneurs etc.

Tier 2: Includes immigrants in graduate jobs who are sponsored by an employer. This category is divided in two Tier 2 visas, (general) for newly recruited workers and (intracompany transfer) for workers being transferred from different international offices located overseas.

Tier 3: Includes low skilled workers, which are currently not being issued.

Tier 4: A student visa and not related to any work position.

Tier 5: Includes middle or low skilled jobs which is a point-based system (strictly temporary) as it does not require a graduate degree. 9

Based on the publication “Work visas and migrant workers in the UK” (Sumption, 2019) and (Figure 5), an amount of 56,000 work visas is given to non-EU citizens. Out of which Tier 2 consists of the highest portion of employers: 31,718 of Intra-company Transfer (ICT) entry visa (Tier 2) and 24,416 of General entry visa.

With such high rate of inflow of immigrants in the UK, it is becoming increasingly competitive to attain a job because of more advanced skill sets and education. Each potential worker possesses strong resumes in order to attain a step ahead of the normal population and acquire their dream job. The article “Brexit and the Impact of Immigration on the UK” (Wadsworth and Reenen, 2016) compares the percentage population of UK-born, all immigrants, EU and A8 immigrants (Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania) in (Figure 6), such that for individuals that attain high and medium level of education are usually immigrants while UK-born has a highest of 44% in the low category of education. This hence conclude the reason for immigrants from each category having around the same percentage or more than UK-born with regards to employment.

These two concepts provide the reasons behind immigration whether it is because of “upward mobility and globalisation from poor to richer nations” or “individuals seeking for higher education, employment, family connections worldwide etc”. But all motives lead to one conclusion, which is attaining citizenship in the UK by satisfying pre-requisites of integration such as residence requirements, language, fees etc. (Besson and Utzinger, 2008) This is clear that due to immigration such levels of inflow to the UK had led to the introduction of Brexit.

2.2 Possible change in the legal framework As part of the findings, probably as a result of the severe policies adopted by the EU, the conflict between employment rights emanating from Europe and the deregulatory employment law agenda in the UK had entered a peaceful phase. However, there continues to be a historical curiosity that the Brexit referendum occurred during such a time. (Ford, 2016) (Figure 7) taken from the article “Brexit and Uncertainty: Insights from the Decision Maker Panel” (Bloom and Young, 2018) shows the timeline of Brexit ever since the introduction of the referendum, from 23 June 2016 onwards up until the due date of when the UK is proposed to leave the EU.

It can be observed that proposed changes are to be passed on immigration system for workers after Brexit. The literature suggests that free movement for citizens from EU will be stopped and improved. Besides that, there will be an introduction into a single system for both immigrants from overseas along with the EU in regards to employment in skilled work or short-term work system. (Sumption, 2019) The commitment to reduce migration is of significant importance for the government, whereby middle and low skilled employers will be mainly targeted which will play a key role in the coming years to establish a principle for labour migration policy. (Sumption, 2017) With such aims taken by the Government to change on immigration law, two policies will be improved: Work permits and Work visas. a) Work permits: It is regarded as a top policy to change into different forms by focussing on the recruitment of highly skilled labour while also improving and modifying free movement among nations. (Sumption, 2017) But how can one differentiate between a low and high skilled applicant? Based on the report “Exploiting the Opportunity? Low-Skilled Work Migration After Brexit� the authors propose a four-part classification on the different jobs – The lowest level/low-skilled job requires education and a basic job training such as cleaners or assistant trades; the second level/lower-middle job requires education and longer duration job training such as caring and driving occupations; the third level/upper-middle job requires higher education but not degree level and job such as managerial positions and skilled occupations; the fourth level/graduate job requires a degree level and includes a 12

professional managerial position. (McNeil, 2018) Below in (Figure 8) is the entry visas given to the skilled sponsored workers from 2005-2018

The increase in number of immigrants with high skill employee jobs that received work visas steadily grew from 2012 onwards whereby the majority of the individuals were workers being transferred from other nations under the same international company based in the UK (ICT- Intra company transfer) (Home Office, 2011) b) Work visas: In relation to work permits, work visas are the next stage of entry into a country. After a permit is sponsored by a firm a visa authorisation is then required by the country to allow any future employee to work in the UK. With the new introduction to include the same requirement for both EU and overseas work visas, the possibility to reduce low skill labour and favour graduate job applicants is the objective. (Mountford and Wadsworth, 2018) Based on the article “Labour immigration after Brexit: questions and trade-offs in designing a work permit system for EU citizens� the author states that in the perspective of every employer post Brexit, an applicant’s nationality is less important than the skills they have to offer. According to the findings, this is a popular way of recruitment followed by many nations as it is less complicated to implement in an immigration system. (Sumption, 2017) 13

Although such policy changes will help the UK in the future post Brexit, some scholars debate if immigrants are truly the main source for a possible harm to the UK workers in attaining a job and increasing competition? The author of “Brexit and the Impact of Immigration on the UK” states that harm would only arise if the total number of jobs is fixed and competition for a particular job is high for immigrants. Furthermore, the consumption of local goods and services increases because of immigrants which hence results in growth of the demands requiring such firms to recruit more individuals thereby increasing job prospects. Based on the research made, the author concludes by stating that the reason that UK born individuals have adverse experiences on wages and jobs is due to the economic crash which was 80 years ago and that a decrease in EU immigration would lead to worse living standards for the UK citizen. (Wadsworth and Reenen, 2016) Hence, as a result, Brexit will continue to generate different perspectives and debates leaving no conclusion until the referendum is passed. Thus, this section will combine the overall perspectives on the referendum and all the changes that could be enacted in a possible post Brexit situation which will be speculated in the findings section.

2.3 Impact on businesses In this modern era, businesses play a vital role in sustaining the success of every nation’s economy. Without the influence of firms, the economy would be weaker and smaller as they provide services and goods while also opening new job opportunities. An abundance of research done by many authors state that supra-national and domestic institutions affect how firms in a country operate. Such companies provide a framework by which managers make key decisions on the business models, resource allocations and missions in the company. (Cumming and Zahra, 2016) The research “The impact of Brexit on foreign direct investment into the UK. Recommendations for investment promotion strategy” highlights on the influence Brexit has on small businesses or firms that focuses on labour as their means to success as it limits labour mobility from the EU into the UK. (Loewendahl, 2016) Based on literature through the surveys (Figure 9) of August to 14

October 2018, it is found that Brexit has caused massive uncertainty among firms exposed to EU exports and use of immigrant labour.

Taking into consideration the sectors of Agriculture and Health Care, scholars debate on pressing questions of how such firms in these sectors could tackle Brexit as they rely heavily on EU labour. a) Agriculture: Employers in the agricultural firms have long favoured the immigrants from around the world as a crucial part of the workforce over British labour based on their superior work ethic and other soft skills. (Ruhs, 2006) Labour shortages also have consequences beyond immigration such as food security whereby imports will be an increasingly important source for fresh food in the nation which in return forces producers to raise their cost and put in higher food prices for consumers. A rise in prices between 35 to 50% is predicted in the survey from British Summer Fruits due to labour 15

shortages. Consequently, with the possibility of a weaker pound this will also add to the higher cost of goods in the UK as imports from abroad will possibly cost more. (Consterdine and Samuk, 2018) b) Health Care: Health care sectors are being impacted whereby ever since Brexit was introduced there has been a 90% drop of EU nurses coming to the UK and also a gradual rise of EU workers who decided to stop working in the nation and return home thereby stating a shortage in the healthcare staff of the NHS. (Victoria and Mossialos, 2017) From the literature findings, studies suggest that the nursing workforce in England is ageing. Based on (Figure 10) nurses over the age of 50 has increased in proportion from 20% of all nurses in the year 2005 to 30% in the year 2014.

Through the National Pension Age, a retirement for most nurses is around the age of 60 (although some may take early retirement) which means one third of nurses will reach the retirement age over the next decade. (Marangozov and Buchan, 2016) This causes the NHS a shortage of nursing workforce, which question authors on the uncertainty of relying on homegrown workforce to fill the massive void left by the retirement workforce and the immigrants post Brexit. (Marangozov and Bevan, 2016) Hence, does Brexit only impact the small firms and businesses that focuses on labour as their main route in accomplishing goals, or does it also have an impact on larger firms? 16

It can be observed through literature that scholars predict that Brexit may have a major impact on larger companies than smaller companies based on the sizes of the firm and its region. From the survey (Figure 11) of August to October 2018, a higher percentage was received from larger firms based on Brexit being one of the top three causes of uncertainty. In regard to regions in the UK, studies show that the uncertainty was lowest in Scotland while highest in East Midlands, the reason being that possibly such businesses are more internationally exposed.

Because of such uncertainty as seen in the data above, there are chances that both UK and EU firms are affected because of Brexit. Firms in the UK are to come out more affected after the referendum. The evidence remains consistent on the predictions of firms on Brexit and its impact on the well-established relationship among immigration and entrepreneurship due to the barriers of immigration. (Cumming and Zahra, 2016) Serious consequences and challenges are felt by international business and entrepreneurship, with regards to the historical relationship between North America and UK firms on strong cultural, political, and economy. (Baldwin and Lopez Gonzalez, 2015) Large companies from both nations are considered to be among the world’s leaders and also the number one source to innovation in marketing, technology and managerial 17

practices. (Bloom and Van Reenen, 2010) However, with Brexit, London will possibly play a diminishing role in the world’s leading financial centre due to the exodus of investors and also financial service firms that locate elsewhere around the globe (such as New York or Frankfurt) (Cumming and Zahra, 2016) With such uncertainties looming on UK, talent will eventually follow wherever the top firms are located. An indication of 20% of entrepreneurs are planning a move abroad (Dishman, 2016) With such abundance of talent seeking new jobs, USA and Canada are eager to take advantage of this situation. Undoubtedly, any voids present in firms located abroad would be filled efficiently with top skill sets and capabilities, hence helping businesses in the EU or overseas to excel and potentially overtake top firms in the UK. (Cumming and Zahra, 2016) Based on the research, below are examples of the effect of such sudden events on large firms – a) The interconnection between Europe and the UK financial system is very strong but Brexit could jeopardize the nation’s financial stability. With the end of passporting rights after the withdrawal from the EU, operations of European Economic Area (EEA) banks with the UK and also European operations of UK banks are difficult to pursue. (Bouoiyour and Selmi, 2018) In the article “Arising borders and the value of logistic companies: evidence from the Brexit referendum in Great Britain” the author also provided evidence of the impacts of Brexit on UK logistics and financial companies with regards to EU and UK relationship. (Tielmann and Schiereck, 2017) b) The UK’s dependency on foreign direct investment has been vital for firms in the nation so much so that UK is more dependent than any other G7 economy. (Loewendahl, 2016) The referendum will affect both strongly and negatively on the Airlines and Defence firms as there will be a lack of investment. This would likely erode the competitive position of aerospace and defence companies while also impacting their revenue and profitability. From the literature, it can be mentioned that the UK defence and aerospace firms are likely to be severely damaged “due to its highly integrated supply chains across Europe and its great dependence on Europe’s Research and Development (R&D) funds”. (Bouoiyour and Selmi, 2018) 18

This is clear that although Brexit does provide its own ways to improve the nation however in regard to both small and larger firms, the disadvantages could outweigh the advantages that the referendum has to offer.

2.4 Position of immigrants It can be noted that the Brexit referendum has been a major influence on the position of immigrants in the UK. Ever since Brexit, migrant entitlements and rights have been threatened which creates a sense of unstableness in their settlement, participation and belonging in the UK. (Virdee and McGeever, 2017) These immigrants may be vulnerable to harassment or experience increased fear because of Brexit. It can be observed that there has been concerns on a frightening extent of the rapid rise of hate crimes such as racism and anti-immigrant xenophobia which has been experienced by the ethnic minorities and migrant individuals living in the nation. (Guma and Jones, 2018) In the past, migrants from EU and overseas were seen unproblematic in regards to racial and cultural difference (implicitly favouring white migrants). (Rzepnikowska, 2018) Since the referendum such perspectives have changed among the media and public. Racist discourse has changed to ethnicity and culture which has created new forms of racism. Categories of ‘black’, ‘Jewish’, ‘migrant’, ‘minority’, ‘foreign’ constitutes the word xenophobia whereby the author Alina Rzepnikowska states “the Greek words xénos– ‘the stranger’ and ‘the guest’, and phóbos– ‘fear’. Hence, xenophobia can be defined as ‘fear of the stranger’ and it is understood as hostility against ‘foreigners’.” (Rzepnikowska, 2018) This hence forms an identity of ‘Englishness’ to the UK-born which lead to Brexit. (Virdee and McGeever, 2017) Such abuses have been experienced by migrants at school, work and also by neighbours. In the article “Experiences of Polish-born adolescents in Britain during the run-up to Brexit” the author reported that bullying by fellow schoolmates echo the sense of prejudices surrounding the EU migration because of the spread of information by the media regarding immigrants and asylum seekers stealing jobs from UK-born. (Young, 2018) Research on abuse by neighbours is mentioned by Alina Rzepnikowska where she states the experiences of her interviewees from Poland. A target of harassment was shown by the poor white working class as they demonstrated racism by kicking the interviewees car or by breaking windows as an aggression against 19

immigrants. (Rzepnikowska, 2018) Due to such high levels of abuse immigrants are forced to take alternative actions to look past the cruelty by consciously avoiding any Brexit discussion topics with their peers or the media, blocking former acquaintances or friends to avoid abuse from social media. Such actions have led migrants to lose trust on the British politics and bureaucracy. (Lulle, 2018) With such high rate of denial for human rights and oppressive government in some nations, such outcomes forces people to leave their country of birth. However, even though migration to other nations does not guarantee safety as some migrants may experience exploitation or abuse but the majority of them benefit and improves their living conditions through mobility. Migrants would prefer a better life over insecurity, poverty and lack of opportunity to survive even though conditions in their new settled nation may be difficult. (Castles and Miller, 2014)

Summary As seen from the overall review of the literature (section 2.1 to 2.3) it is clear that the influence of Brexit produces considerable uncertainty on framework and businesses for the nation, EU and overseas. (Bouoiyour and Selmi, 2018) Although the immediate effects of Brexit may be considered negligibly small, in time, such unpredictability will continue to generate different perspectives which could both be in favour of or against the position of immigrants in the United Kingdom. All these factors and other targeted abuse from the public and media (section 2.4) contribute to the unstableness of emotions among individual migrants in regard to foreseeing a pleasant and stable future in the UK. With Brexit continuing, debates on whether the referendum will give a more positive impact or a negative one will continue to linger until the referendum is passed. (Bloom and Young, 2018) Hence, the next section will examine the methodology (empirical research) carried out to strengthen the above-mentioned outcome of the literature review and open up a flexible discussion on the participants perspectives of Brexit which will further support the aims and objectives of this research. Semi- structured interviews will be conducted and used in the research to investigate the interviewee’s perspective on his or her current situation and their outlook towards future settlement or employment prospects in the UK while also aiming to fill in the gap according to previously carried out research. 20

3 METHODOLOGY Introduction 3.1 Research approach 3.2 Sampling and data collection 3.3 Data analysis 3.4 Ethical methods and limitations Summary

3. Methodology Introduction This chapter will outline the methodology that will describe the methods supporting the objectives of this research. The study will involve participants through the method of convenience sampling whereby semi-structured interviews will be carried out to seek insights on the perspectives of the interviewee on the topic “Impact of Brexit on future work decisions of immigrants in the UK�. The data is collected and further analysed to attain a better understanding of the results achieved.

3.1 Research Approach An exploratory qualitative research is done on the following topic as it enables the interviewee to express their own perspective and attitude on Brexit and the possible impacts it might have on them. By drawing a representative sample from each interview, it can then be analysed to develop a theory and contribute to understanding in the best way possible so that the result from the sample can then be generalized back to the population. (Marshall, 1996) In order to gather the data, the research is conducted in London, being the capital city of the UK and one of the most ethnically diverse cities around the globe with about 3.3 million immigrants presently living here. (Wadsworth and Reenen, 2016)

3.2 Sampling and Data collection A convenience sampling will be conducted by selecting participants that are within geographical proximity, meet the research conditions, are willing to participate and be available for a meeting at their convenience. (Marshall, 1996) The time span of data collection takes around one month whereby semi-structured interviews are carried out one on one. The nature of these interviews is face to face, whereby the response of the interviewee is recorded using an iPhone (voice memos 21

app) and later transcribed in findings. If complications arise in meeting on the allotted date for the interview to take place, a different approach is taken whereby the interview is carried out through skype or telephone which will also be recorded using an iPhone (voice memos app). Based on the article “Using internet technologies (such as Skype) as a research medium: a research note� the author states the benefits of using internet technologies such as Skype. Easy access, low or no cost at all and prevention of imposing in each other’s personal space all help in forming a good interview among participants. (Hanna, 2012) Overall the interviews last for an hour and structured based on introduction to age and nationality. The interviewees are invited to express their perspective and attitude on topics that relate to the impact of Brexit. (Figure 12) is a table that comprises of details of all the participants (candidate number, career, gender, age, nationality and time span living in the UK). (Figure 13) contains a table of all the questions (themes and evaluation). The research participants are targeted to be young adults, both male and female and must be of at least 18 years old to participate. Hence, the age range will be between 22-35, who are either currently pursuing a graduate degree or seeking an employment opportunity in the near future.

Figure 12: Participants description Candidate number

Nationality

CN 1 CN 2 CN 3 CN 4 CN 5 CN 6 CN 7

Student Student Employed Employed Student Student Employed

Male Male Male Female Male Male Male

25 29 34 27 26 23 30

Ghana Nigeria Turkey India Norway Italy India

Time span living in the UK (years) 1 1 2 2 1 1 7

Figure 13: Semi-Structured interview Themes

Topics discussed

Introduction

What is your age and where are you from?

Participants perspective of the UK

(Campbell, 2014)

Motive for migration

(Sarpong and Maclean, 2018), (Campbell, 2014)

Impact of Brexit

Current visa status and framework Influence on Business Immigrants Position Viewpoint on Brexit

(Sumption, 2019) (Cumming and Zahra, 2016) (Guma and Jones, 2018) (Virdee and McGeever, 2017)

End of the interview

Thank you for your participation

Data analysis

The arrangement of the data analysis from the semi-structured interviews are as follows – Firstly, the summary of the data collection is extracted from the recorded data received by an iPhone (voice memo app) to capture every word. The recording will then be played repeatedly until the interviewer creates a picture in the mind, to attain the gestures or emotions of the participants at the time while the interview is taking place. This is followed by the transcription of the audio interviews into a note book or Microsoft Word to attain details regarding the participant’s response. A repeated process of transcribing the audio is needed in order to make sure every word is written. This process will help the interviewer to highlight the themes used for coding. A method of using different colours while highlighting different themes found in the transcription is recommended as it will help in exploring the data’s dimensions and in-depth analysis into the text. The process of highlighting themes and audios is carried out repeatedly until similar perspectives and ideas will be observed throughout the data which will hence help in grouping the participants’ responses under certain question categories. Secondly, the recurrent ideas identified during transcription by listening to the audios and highlighted themes form the code system. The codes obtained from this analysis consists of six dimensions to this study – perspectives, motives, framework, business, position and viewpoint. 23

The identified themes are then compared to previous literature and existing theory, hence meeting the aims and objectives to produce the understanding of this research.

Ethical methods and Limitations

The topic of this research consists of no hazard or disadvantage for any participant included in the project. If participants are no longer comfortable with the interview at any point, they are free to terminate the process if they no longer wish to continue. During the data analyzation, all information received from the responses will be strictly confidential without disclosing the names and identities of the participants and with the understanding that the data collected is used for the purpose of this study only. However, all the participants’ perspectives and inputs will be helpful and used for an overall evaluation which will hence be a great addition to the findings of the current research. The collected data will henceforth be erased accordingly when the information recorded is no longer required. It can be mentioned that in order for this research to be carried forward, an approval from the Brunel Research Ethics Organization (BREO) is required which usually takes up to 10-15 working days. (Appendix A) consists of the BREO ethics approval letter for this research, (Appendix B) is the information sheet of the participants and (Appendix C) consists of a signed applicant consent form. So far, based on the current study done on the topics related to the “Impact of Brexit on future work decisions of immigrants in the UK”, there has been some literature that focuses on understanding the complexity of psychosocial issues of individuals living in the UK that generate questions such as ‘how’ and ‘why’. (Marshall, 1996) However, most literature are mainly focused on the EU immigrant’s perspective currently living in the UK and lacks empirical research on non-EU immigrants. As a result, this research will provide additional information to support the current qualitative literature done on the topic of “Brexit” by focusing on attaining perspectives of both immigrants from the EU and overseas on such uncertainties and whether there will be an effect on their current and future decisions.

Summary The methodology consists of a research approach taken in this study that uses convenience sampling to select participants. A structured flow of how data will be collected from the semistructured interview of each applicant is then transcribed to attain insights on their perspectives on the impact of “Brexit�. The next part of this research includes findings and discussions by following the aims and objectives to attain a better understanding.

RESEARCH FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS Introduction 4.1 Aim and Objective 1: Motive for Immigrants to come to the UK 4.2 Aim and Objective 2: Impact of Brexit on legal framework and business 4.3 Aim and Objective 3: Attitudes on Brexit, its impact and future plans based on current conditions

4. Research Findings and Analysis Introduction As mentioned in the methodology, this chapter consists of the findings which include the perspectives and views of the participants engaged in this research. The process of gathering these findings is through a qualitative data collection method which uses a semi-structured process of interviewing immigrants on their perception and attitude towards the impact that Brexit may or may not have on their future ambitions of applying for a job in the UK under such conditions. The results from the findings and discussions will follow the aims and objectives of this research which are mentioned below in (Figure 14) as follows: Figure 14: Aims and Objectives AIM AND OBJECTIVE 1

Motive for immigrants to come to the UK

AIM AND OBJECTIVE 2

AIM AND OBJECTIVE 3

Impact of Brexit on legal framework and business

Attitudes on Brexit, its impact and future plans based on current conditions

From the data collected, the codes obtained consists of six dimensions to this study: perspective, motive, framework, business, position and viewpoint of Brexit, which further relate to the aims and objectives as mentioned above. The data responses received on the above-mentioned themes and topics (Figure 13) of the participants (CN1, CN2, CN3, CN4, CN5, CN6, CN7) from (Figure 12) suggests additional information to support the current qualitative literature done on the topic of “Brexit”. To begin with the first aim and objective of this study, two of the six dimensions that are addressed in section 4.1 include “perspective” and “motive” of the immigrant’s decision to migrate to the UK.

4.1 Aim and Objective 1: Motive for Immigrants to come to the UK 4.1.1 Dimensions of “perspective” and “motive” As mentioned in the literature review in the previous section, the United Kingdom is considered to be a key driver that attracts many immigrants from all around the globe for reasons of career opportunities and education prospects among many others. (Campbell, 2014) The key theme here is “perspectives” of the participants who are all immigrants. The interview conducted was able to gather similar responses that support the literature by mentioning the UK’s good administrative system, being one of the foremost economies when it comes to technology and business, better standards of living and educational and employment opportunities that the nation has to offer. The response of [CN1] and [CN4] are highlighted below: "I think it has good administrative system that enables everyone within any class you are to have the basic facilities such as water, hospital etc. Everyone gets equally treated but back home in my country you wouldn’t have those basic facilities when you are within the lower class of people" [CN1], and "London is considered one of the most influential cities in the world with a global economy and culture. As an immigrant, the UK is a multicultural city open to diverse cultures and people from various ethnic groups. It is a place to be and grow with excellent opportunities with better living standards and quality of life" [CN4]. (Appendix D & Appendix G) [CN1] is from the city called Accre at Ghana (Appendix D) and [CN4] is from India (Appendix G). Both nations are considered to be third-world countries (developing countries) with lack of improved facilities and opportunities. [CN1] mentioned that in his country only families or individuals that are in the middle class or higher can attain or be considered with such facilities. With the continual growth of population in such countries, the goal of attaining a healthy lifestyle with education and work becomes more difficult. Because of such demanding and competitive environments, young immigrants are either forced or choose to leave their home country to seek for a better quality of life abroad as mentioned by [CN4]. Such a “perspective” on the better standards of living in the UK lead to migration which furthermore associates with the literature stated by the authors (Sarpong and Maclean, 2018) that emphasize about globalisation and upward mobility of migrants from poor countries to rich nations.

From the outcome of the theme “perspective” of immigrants on the UK, another key theme arises which is the “motive” behind migration. Based on the literature, (Campbell, 2014) states other ambitions for migration such as seeking asylum or traveling, employment or education, have a dependent living in the nation or to get married, to form a civil partnership. These ambitions find common ground with two of the participant’s (CN4 and CN3) responses which is stated below: "My motive to come to the UK was to attain education by completing a master degree at Architectural Association School of Architecture. My aim was to not only attain experience and knowledge by being exposed towards new cultures and methods of working but also to contribute to the growing field of advanced architectural technology and possibly being a part of it ... I believe that with the cutting-edge technologies available here and the peers I connect and work with from multicultural backgrounds, it will develop my long-term career plan. For me, attaining a degree from a top-notch school in the UK will help me be recognized for being schooled at an established place and working in big firms in the UK will stand out in my resume and enable me for having gained knowledge and experience internationally." [CN4], and "The reason was to attain education by completing a master’s degree in architecture at the University College London as well as family connections that are already living in the UK. Migrating to the UK for me is to be exposed to developed technologies in architecture and the high level of network in design and art field. But to be honest with you, I would like to be closer to my family members that live here. Hence, that is more of an attraction to me than attaining a job ..." [CN3]. (Appendix G & Appendix F) It can be noted from the above responses that both participant’s “motive” was to attain education in the UK. However, even though both [CN4] and [CN3] pursued the same master’s degree in Architecture, one can notice the difference in point of view between both participants for migrating to the UK. While [CN4] is strictly focused on expanding her knowledge horizons by being exposed to new methods of working and culture in the UK, she expresses her desire to be a part of the UK community and contribute to its growth. Collaboration with diverse group of individuals to accomplish goals on projects at work or school will enable her to form a strong resume that will direct her to her dream job at a top firm someday in the future. On the other hand, the main goal of [CN3] was to be closer to his family members that are already currently residing in the UK. Therefore, attaining a job in the UK was more of a requirement for him to remain in the country and maintain the close relationship he has with his family.

Additionally, it can be pointed out that although both participants have different viewpoints on the matter, both [CN4] and [CN3] have made it possible to attain high levels of education at top universities in the UK, which resonates with the career viewpoint of the rest of the participants who have or are in the process of attaining a degree (Figure 12). As mentioned earlier, these responses are given by participants who are all immigrants who are seeking to continue to develop their educational background which eventually relates to the literature (Wadsworth and Reenen, 2016) where the authors state that a major percentage of immigrants are currently at medium or high-level education compared to the 44% of UK-born individuals that only attain low education. The second aim and objective of this study mentions the ‘Impact of Brexit on the legal framework and business’. The literature suggests that proposed changes are to be passed on immigration system for workers after Brexit. The visa status of the immigrants is questioned and the section 4.2 below also discusses the dimensions of “framework” and “business”.

4.2 Aim and Objective 2: Impact of Brexit on legal framework and business

4.2.1 Dimensions of “framework” and “business” Visa status From these findings, each of the participants held passports of their own country of birth. Two of the seven candidates did not require a visa to work in the UK as they were from the EU ([CN5] from Norway, [CN6] from Italy) (Figure 12). Considering the overseas participants, two of the participants have Tier 2 working visas ([CN3], [CN7]) (Appendix F & Appendix J) ([CN1], [CN2]) (Appendix D & Appendix E) have Tier 4 student visas while [CN4] is seeking to attain a Tier 2 working visa to be able to return to the UK for employment purposes. (Appendix G) The Tier 4 student visa holders had a problematic approach in acquiring a job easily and responded saying:

"I was given 20 hours per week to work and find a job between a certain period of time, it was stressful for me as no firm was ready to employ someone who just has 20 hours of working permit ..." [CN1], and "When it comes for searching for jobs it’s the usual 20-hour work permit time hence when you go to apply for job you are perceived differently. Once you say I am a student they just don’t want anything to do with you and similarly when I finally got a job you have senior managers saying to others “be careful with that guy he’s only got 20-hours” I understand its part of the law but sometimes it does not make it quite easy for you as a person to get a job ..." [CN2]. (Appendix D & Appendix E) From the above responses, we can notice that employment in UK establishments was favoured mostly for fresh Tier 2 visa holders as compared to the Tier 4 student visa holders with a 20-hour work permit per week who are seeking to convert to a Tier 2 working visa. Both [CN1] and [CN2] mentions the difficulty of attaining a full-time job with only the 20-hour work permit time frame. They also notice that recruiters have generalised perspectives on students with a Tier 4 visa such as lacking skills or the incapability of accomplishing the company’s goals, hence the participants above are of the view that recruiters prefer assigning them with a lower job position as compared to a Tier 2 visa holder. These responses justify the literature of (Sumption, 2019) and (Home Office, 2011) which also states that the highest portion of employers who were immigrants in the UK had either Tier 2 or Tier 2 ICT visas. This collection of data based on the visa status of each participant will constitute the next theme “framework” and how the impact of Brexit will be perceived by the participants. The article (Sumption, 2019) states that the government of the UK are committed to reduce migration by changing laws regarding “framework” whereby an introduction of a single system employment policy will be directed to both immigrants from EU and overseas. (Sumption, 2019) Such policy changes that could possibly be made in the future if Brexit is passed is agreed upon by the participants from overseas as it could change the existing situation in a significant way. The responses given by [CN2] and [CN4] stated below describe their viewpoint of how the current employment policy is disadvantageous to them since they are international applicants who stand a minor chance for employment as compared to their EU or UK counterparts.

"... That was annoying and also humiliating, from wanting me so badly to work for them to disregarding me as if I did not exist just because I said I was an international student. Hence with Brexit immigrants from overseas will have a fighting chance, as employers right now just want either EU or UK people to work for them even though they are not even qualified or less skilled for the job because they can get away from sponsorship. So right now, we are at the tail end of the demand curve and with Brexit we will be considered much higher ..." [CN2], and “I have experienced many interviews in some of London’s architectural firms in the past few months where I have reached the final stage of the interview process and have been DENIED a position only because I was an international applicant as the common trend was to not sponsor international students … Hence with Brexit passed, the immediate effects for overseas citizens like me are probably small but will definitely be more motivating ..." [CN4]. (Appendix E & Appendix G) From the above responses, a sense of disappointment from participants [CN2] and [CN4] on the current policy that affects the employment of immigrants from overseas can be noted. The participants have individually experienced similar outcomes when applying for a job or reaching the final stages of an interview. This is probably because, from their responses, UK firms are not likely to hire immigrants from overseas as they require sponsorships even though they may be the ideal candidate for the position. Therefore, because of this reason, they are likely to recruit immigrants from the EU because it will be a more convenient option for the company although they may have a weaker CV or skill set. Hence [CN2] and [CN4] are of the view that immigrants from EU have a higher advantage for attaining a job than other immigrants from abroad. Their responses are in support of the literature regarding Brexit forming a new “framework” by possibly reducing low skill labour and favour graduate job applicants. (Mountford and Wadsworth, 2018) This will then be a game changer and probably be a level playing field for all immigrants that seek employment. Furthermore, in such a scenario, these individuals will also be motivated to compete for a job.

On the other hand, when participants from the EU where asked about their opinions on visa or sponsorship, a straightforward answer was received. The responses given by [CN5] and [CN6] are highlighted below:

"Norwegian passport, so don’t need visa." [CN5], and " I am holding an Italian passport. I do not need any special visa to live or to visit the European union countries. Until Brexit I can live and work in the UK without any particular visa or permission." [CN6]. (Appendix H & Appendix I) However, when discussed about Brexit and its impacts on “framework”, a sense of anxiety and uncertainty was expressed by the participants from the EU. [CN5] mentions that such changes will not benefit England in the long run, and he believes that it is a bad move in regard to forming a more globalised world. With the end of free movement, the country is perceived to be seeking more nationalities and more control over their border hence opposing the literature on Brexit and its introduction of a policy that will include a similar requirement for all immigrants, both overseas and EU. (Mountford and Wadsworth, 2018) If the referendum is passed, free movement for both [CN5] and [CN6] to work and live in the UK will be challenged. The literature suggests that the introduction of Brexit has brought about an impact on small “businesses” that operate and focus on labour as their main basis to flourish. From the data collected in the findings, one of the responses given by [CN7] agrees to this impact: " I personally do think Brexit impacts labour, through my understanding a sizeable proportion of NHS nurses are from the EU or have studied in the EU and Brexit naturally means new migrants into the UK will be significantly reduced ..." [CN7]. (Appendix J) Such responses relate to the current condition that these “businesses” are undergoing in regard to shortage of labour. Further, this response supports the literature of (Victoria and Mossialos, 2017) which states that ever since Brexit, EU workers have decided to return home or stop working. This will generate a considerable shortage of staff members in the NHS. While Brexit will have an influence on small businesses, through literature, scholars predict that Brexit may also have a major impact on larger companies based on the sizes of the firm and its region. Through the findings, a mention of the impact of Brexit on larger businesses are also stated in two of the responses given by [CN5] and [CN7] below:

"I think absolutely Brexit will not benefit England in the long term because of companies taking their offices away from England and I think England can lose their position as a global city for companies." [CN5], and " I think large businesses are ultimately preparing for worst-case scenario outcome. Brexit will means losing the four freedoms of the single markets; i.e. the free movement of goods, capital, services and people ...” [CN7]. (Appendix H & Appendix J) It can be noticed that [CN5] is of the opinion that England will no longer be considered a global city once Brexit is to be passed since many large firms and companies currently situated in the UK will shift base and eventually migrate their offices to other countries like USA and China that possess a stable and upcoming market. This response relates to the view of the authors (Cumming and Zahra, 2016) that suggest that Brexit may damage the current role of London being regarded as one of the world’s leading financial centres. With the departure of investors and financial firms from the UK to other cities like Frankfurt and New York, [CN6] believes that larger “businesses” must stay aware of the uncertainties that Brexit may bring about in the event of a worst-case scenario. This relates to the survey done by (Bloom and Young, 2018) found in the literature review (Figure 11) whereby the larger the size of the “business” the more the uncertainty. 4.3 Aim and Objective 3: Attitudes on Brexit, its impact and future plans based on

current conditions 4.3.1 Dimensions of “position” and “viewpoint”

It can be noted based on the literature that ever since the introduction of Brexit, there has been a major influence on the position of immigrants in the UK. Hate crimes such as anti-immigrant xenophobia and racism has been experienced by the migrant individuals and ethnic minorities living in the nation. (Guma and Jones, 2018) These feelings of hostility towards migrants has been experienced by some of the interviewed participants in this research (CN1, CN2, CN5) hence causing an uneasy take on the “position” of each participant. The responses are highlighted below: " Experience so far with people, racism will be number one because even when I am working with someone else, as I am black I am perceived not from Britain because of my accent hence I 33

am treated differently." [CN1], " On the racial front I haven’t received racism honestly one on one but I do get a vibe of incompetence, ignorance from many locals for being African. As an educated African it doesn’t work with me as they feel you are incapable to do the job, it does not only happen at the lowest levels but to the highest levels of employment where they feel because you’re an immigrant” [CN2] and “My experience has been good wouldn’t say excellent though as you come across many individuals mostly good and some bad unfortunately in the way they perceive you, maybe because I have a different accent and they think I am an immigrant.” [CN5]. (Appendix D, Appendix E & Appendix H) Based on the responses of [CN1] as an immigrant coming from Ghana (Figure 12), he is perceived as ‘black’ and his accent is considered ‘foreign’. Being perceived as belonging, or not belonging, to a particular group can affect the well-being of an individual. Similarly [CN5] experiences the same type of categorization because of his accent considered as ‘foreign’ being from Norway. Such experiences expressed by our interview participants relate to the literature that has been mentioned earlier by (Rzepnikowska, 2018) where perspectives based on the current notion of ‘xenophobia’ is formed from Greek terms such as ‘xenos’ which means ‘the stranger’ and ‘phóbos’ which means ‘fear’. It can also be noted that such abuses are experienced at work places and in schools (Young, 2018). This is supported by the response of [CN2] whereby the participant experiences feelings of discrimination such as ignorance and incompetence from locals at work because he is considered as ‘African’. This categorization may make him feel constrained and stereotyped. Such shared discrimination is not only experienced in lower levels of employment but also the highest ones. When it comes to the dimension of “viewpoint” on Brexit, the overall outlook of all participants varies depending on how the referendum influences each immigrant individually. Based on the responses of the participants [CN1], [CN2], [CN3], [CN4] and [CN7], Brexit has no effect on them. [CN1] states that his future plans are to return to his home country and help run his family’s company hence Brexit will have no major impact on his current decisions (Appendix D). Although [CN3] does concur on Brexit being a disadvantage if it starts affecting his company's future development, currently he is of the opinion that it has no effect on him as an immigrant since he has been able to attain a self-employed businessperson visa by virtue of his 34

nationality. (Appendix F) Another participant [CN7] is of the viewpoint that Brexit will not have any impact on him since being from overseas while also currently holding a Tier 2 ICT (Intra Company Transfer) visa enables him to transfer from one country to another depending on his employment status. (Appendix J) While [CN2] and [CN4] are determined to possibly stay in the UK by attaining their dream job, Brexit will not have any impact on their employment policy requirements as they are from overseas but if passed, this will motivate both participants to work hard in achieving their purpose and settling in the UK. However, if such influences are not in favour to both individuals, the objectives of attaining a job elsewhere around the world is always an option. (Appendix E & Appendix G) On the other hand, EU immigrants [CN5] and [CN6] have different views on Brexit compared to the rest of the participants: " I really appreciate the working policies that the country has. However, it will be definitely a big disadvantage for my current and future decisions. Because many things can change after Brexit, especially about work permission and visa.” [CN6], and " It’s not an attractive option for me. I think the diversity is going to go away, and it’s going to be a more hostile environment their if there is a hard Brexit. Overall, I think the populist movement (which I consider Brexit to be) is a bad thing.” [CN5] (Appendix I & Appendix H) It is evident from the response of [CN6] that his ambitions of coming to the UK for education was to stay for a longer duration as he is appreciative of the working policies of the nation, However due to such uncertainties he is unwilling to put his future in jeopardy by waiting to see how Brexit will eventually turn things around and hence because of this he has decided to pursue a summer internship back home in Italy. Consequently, [CN5] has a different ‘viewpoint’ compared to the response of [CN6] regarding Brexit as he believes that the passing of Brexit will impact the current and future diversity of the UK. He is of the view that the nation will have a more hostile environment because of such future beliefs of a populist movement. Hence for the future, it is no longer an attractive option for him to continue settling in the UK. This response correlates with the literature as mentioned previously whereby the author (Rzepnikowska, 2018) uses the term ‘foreigners’ and ‘fear of the stranger’, depicted to express hostility towards the immigrants which has been on a rapid rise ever since the introduction of Brexit.

5 CONCLUSION 5.1 Summary of the main findings 5.2 Contribution of the research and limitation 5.3 Directions for future research

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the overall purpose of the research was aimed at investigating on the topic “Impact of Brexit on future work decisions of immigrants in the UK�. The aims and objectives were derived as a backbone to provide an additional understanding of the perception and attitude of the immigrants currently living in the nation during such period of uncertainties that Brexit will bring about in the UK. A qualitative method was followed whereby convenience sampling was used to recruit participants that fit the purpose and agenda of this research. A semistructured interview process was carried out to attain data and responses from these participants, analysed in the section of findings and discussion while keeping in mind the literature review. Therefore, the concluding chapter will be structured as follows: (1) Summary of the main findings, followed by (2) Contribution of the research and limitations and (3) Directions for future research.

Summary of the main findings

With the advancement of technology and transportation in the world we live in today, traveling to other countries by choice for various purposes has become much more of a convenience than a difficulty which further leads to millions of immigrants migrating to the UK and other countries. However, with the introduction of the Brexit referendum to reduce free movement, debates and studies have been generated on the future policy and the possible impacts the referendum might cause. With regard to this, it is important to understand the perception and attitude of the public living in the UK as it will produce further discussion and possibly generate more insights on the issues that Brexit may or may not bring. Although there are many key issues to be discussed with regard to Brexit, in this research the main aims and objectives will be as follows: 1. Motive for immigrants to come to the UK. 2. Impact of Brexit on legal framework and business. 3. Attitudes on Brexit and its impact and future plans based on current conditions. 36

Contribution of the research and limitation

With the vast amount of literature currently available on the impacts of Brexit, the purpose of this research is to provide additional information to support the current qualitative literature done on the topic of “Brexit” by focusing on attaining the perspectives and emotions of immigrants from the EU and overseas on such uncertainties and whether it will affect their current or future ambitions. By analyzing both sides of the perspectives of the EU and overseas immigrants, this research aims to provide a wider point of view of how the influence of Brexit is perceived worldwide. With such possible changes that Brexit may bring about, attitudes towards the referendum will depend entirely on the immigrant’s reasoning, understanding and conclusions. This will hence strengthen the available information from the current literature. By following the aims and objectives of this research, the codes obtained consisted of six dimensions to this study. Firstly, the research aimed at understanding the ‘Motive for immigrants to come to the UK’. Here, two dimensions of the above codes were discussed, “perspective” and “motive”, with each participant having their own reason or motivation for migration. “Perspective” included the outlook that these participants had towards a better quality of life available in the UK which lead to globalisation and upward mobility (Sarpong and Maclean, 2018) while “motive” focused on different ambitions for migration such as to form a civil partnership, education or employment, seeking asylum or traveling, to get married or have a dependent living in the nation (Campbell, 2014) which lead such individuals to migrate to the UK from their country of birth. Secondly, the next aim was to understand the ‘Impact of Brexit on legal framework and business’ whereby two more dimensions were discussed and analysed, “framework” and “business”. The dimension of “framework” considers the current visa status of the participant and furthermore discusses the impact that the change in employment policy requirements with Brexit being passed could have on his or her status of immigration. (Sumption, 2017) The dimension of “business”, on the other hand, reflects on the impact that Brexit may have on small businesses in regard to labour (Loewendahl, 2016) and larger businesses in regard to uncertainties with the possible exit of such companies from the UK hence damaging London’s economy and market status as being one of the world’s top leading financial centres. (Cumming and Zahra, 2016) Finally, the third objective of this research involves the ‘Attitudes on Brexit and its impact and future plans based 37

on current conditions’. Here two dimensions of “position” and “viewpoint towards Brexit” have been identified and discussed. The dimension of “position” demonstrates the current situation of every immigrant living in the UK after the referendum has been introduced with feelings of racial abuse and discrimination on the rise. Terms such as ‘xenophobia’ and other metaphors of racial abuse such as ‘migrant’, ‘Jewish’, ‘foreign’, ‘black’, ‘minority’ are targeted by the public to these immigrants either in their schools, workplaces etc. (Rzepnikowska, 2018) The final dimension of this research finding talks about the ‘Viewpoints towards Brexit’ felt by these immigrants whereby the perspectives and opinions of each participant is noted. The overall outlook of all participants varies depending on how the referendum influences each immigrant individually. Therefore, the aims and objectives along with the respective dimensions generated from the findings and discussions of this research provides a comparative research with the literature and potential outcome and conclusion on the perspectives of immigrants both from the EU and overseas.

Although this research provides a good amount of analysis on the perspectives and attitudes of the immigrants from the EU and overseas, the limitation of this study is that since being a qualitative research, it focuses on the understanding of psychosocial issues of humans that generate questions such as ‘how’ and ‘why’. These questions are based on current opinions and may have a possibility to change in the future. With the uncertainty of “Brexit”, there are many problems and solutions to be discussed. However, this research only focuses on the immigrant’s perspective and not the UK-born. This research also uses a convenience sampling which is considered to be least rigorous technique with results being of poor quality of data as it can lack intellectual credibility. (Marshall, 1996)

Directions for future research

For further pursuit, future research on the topic can attempt to generate different perspectives and attitudes towards how immigrants feel about applying for a job in the UK once the referendum is passed that may support or contradict the findings and discussions in this research. While the results from the findings in this research are not specific to every immigrant living in the UK, at present the analysis on the findings suggest a more generalised approach. Consideration of an even broader and diverse category of participants may generate diverse perspectives that can change once the referendum is passed. While it is true that future research endeavours can focus on ways to strengthen this research, it is important to mention that the findings and discussions derived from this research have played a crucial role in determining the immigrant’s current perceptions and attitudes about remaining in the UK during the period of Brexit.

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McNeil, R. (2018) ‘Exploiting the Opportunity? Low-Skilled Work Migration After Brexit’. Available at: https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/reports/exploiting-the-opportunitylow-skilled-work-migration-after-brexit/ (Accessed: 23 July 2019). Mountford, A. and Wadsworth, J. (2018) ‘Trainspotting: good jobs, training and skilled immigration’. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3408307 (Accessed: 26 July 2019). Marangozov, R. and Bevan, S. (2016) ‘Beyond Brexit: Assessing key risks to the nursing workforce in England’. Available at: https://www.employmentstudies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/hrp12.pdf (Accessed: 31 July 2019). Marangozov, R. and Buchan, J. (2016) ‘The labour market for nurses in the UK and its relationship to the demand for, and supply of, international nurses in the NHS’. Available at: https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/system/files/resources/files/mac0716.pdf (Accessed: 31 July 2019). Marshall, M. (1996) ‘Sampling for qualitative research’. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article/13/6/522/496701 (Accessed: 10 August 2019). Phizacklea, A. (1998) ‘Migration and Globalization: A Feminist Perspective’. Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-26258-8_2 (Accessed: 18 July 2019). Ruhs, M. (2006) ‘The potential of temporary migration programmes in future international migration policy’. Available at: https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/intlr145&div=7&g_sent=1&casa_token= &collection=journals (Accessed: 27 July 2019). Rzepnikowska, A. (2018) ‘Racism and xenophobia experienced by Polish migrants in the UK before and after Brexit vote’. Available at: 43

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Appendices BREO Ethical Approval Letter (Appendix A)

Participant Information Sheet (Appendix B)

Applicant Consent Form (Appendix C)

[CN1] Semi-structured interview (Appendix D)

[CN2] Semi-structured interview (Appendix E)

[CN3] Semi-structured interview (Appendix F)

[CN4] Semi-structured interview (Appendix G)

[CN5] Semi-structured interview (Appendix H)

[CN6] Semi-structured interview (Appendix I)

[CN7] Semi-structured interview (Appendix J)

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Answered By: Claire Mazer Last Updated: 16 Oct, 2023     Views: 93

While the library does not provide access to past taught course assignments or dissertations, you will find Brunel Law School has made examples available via Brightspace. To access go to Brightspace  >   First class dissertations - LX3098 Dissertation (A 2023/4) (brunel.ac.uk) .

In the library, there are some books which may assist you with writing your coursework and / or dissertation:

Stacie Strong, How to write law essays and exams (2022)  How to write law essays & exams (sirsidynix.net.uk)

Laura Lammasniemi,  Law dissertations: a step by step guide (2021)  Law dissertations : a step-by-step guide (sirsidynix.net.uk)  (also available as an eBook)

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