Advanced UK-US Trade Talks Set for June
Delegates from the US and UK will take part in advanced, virtual negotiations in June to progress the post-Brexit trade deal agenda.
Officials are set to discuss detailed proposals with a view to agreeing a “comprehensive trade deal at an accelerated rate,” says UK international trade secretary Liz Truss.
The advanced talks follow an initial round of discussions between US and UK negotiators in early May. Topics covered included small and medium enterprises (SMEs), financial services, investment, legal barriers to trade and agriculture.
According to Truss, the talks were successful in identifying “mutually high ambition for services, investment and digital trade, among other areas”.
UK representatives also clarified that the NHS and food standards would not be areas for compromise or negotiation.
Making US work visas easier for UK nationals
One of the key areas identified by businesses in the UK Government’s pre-trade talks public consultation was to make it easier to transfer workers between the UK and US and for British nationals to work in the US.
UK trade officials are understood to be pursuing a bid to persuade US Congress to include a fast-tracked visa in the trade deal.
Building a Global Britain
While there is no ‘hard’ deadline for the US trade talks, the UK Government is understood to be keen to pursue the US trade deal on a fast-track basis to give substance to its post-Brexit “global Britain” agenda.
UK negotiations with the EU remain ongoing, with a fixed deadline of December 31, 2020 to finalise an exit deal.
US immigration advice
NNU Immigration is actively monitoring the progress of US trade talks the potential changes in US visa policy and immigration for UK employers and workers.
As the situation continues to develop, please contact our US immigration specialists for the latest advice for your specific circumstances.
This article does not constitute direct legal advice and is for informational purposes only.
Last updated: 26 May 2020
Author
Founder & Principal Attorney Nita Nicole Upadhye is a recognized leader in the field of US business immigration law, (The Legal 500, Who's Who Legal and AILA) and an experienced and trusted advisor to large multinational corporates through to SMEs. She provides strategic immigration advice and specialist application support to corporations and professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, artists, actors and athletes from across the globe to meet their US-bound talent mobility needs.
Nita is an active public speaker, thought leader, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals.
