The debate over Brexit has been a heated one, especially since it is the first time the EU has lost a member. The process of Brexit has been a long and complex one and will reconstruct the image of all parties involved, both economically and politically. Changes within several EU policies will be slow and gradual, with the exception of immigration policy. The latter has been one of the EU's biggest challenges, ever since the establishment of free movement of goods, services and people. The British are certain that the immigrants are taking away their jobs and putting unbearable pressure on their healthcare system and other public services. The aim of my Master's thesis is to analyse and identify how and why Brexit has occurred, i.e. whether the main reason was mainly the lack of sovereignty and limited control over immigration in Britain, and what changes it will bring to the migration flows within the country. I examined the factors that have influenced migration from EU countries to Britain, assessed different scenarios for the new UK migration policy, and presented the short- and long-term effects of new migration policy on the social situation in the country. Based on the descriptive-analytical method, the findings indicated that after 1 January 2021 free movement will end, and EU, as well as other non-EU citizens wishing to move to the UK, will be treated the same. Despite that, what the UK’s immigration system will look like a few years from now is still uncertain. However, it is clear that the current conservative government wants to take full control of British borders and design their own ˮpost-brexitˮ immigration regime, which will focus primarily on high-skilled and well-educated workers.
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