Brexit Resources and Guidance
On 1 January 2021, the United Kingdom officially left the EU with new laws in place. Below are a list of resources and guidance papers to help you understand what the new rules are and how to implement them into your business.
The Government has created an online tool which generates a personalised list of actions for you, your business and family to action. Additionally, they have produced new on demand videos to help businesses familiarise themselves with the new rules and actions they should take.
We are keen to hear how the new rules have affected construction. If you would like to have your say please get in touch with our policy team: policy@ciob.org.uk
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SME Support Fund
On Thursday 11 February 2021, Government announced a £20 million SME Brexit Support Fund to support small and medium sized businesses (SME's) in adjusting to new customs, rules of origin, and VAT rules when trading with the EU.
Traders will be able to apply for a grant of up to £2,000 to pay for practical support for importing and exporting as well as prepare for the implementation of import controls which will come into force from April and July.
It is important to note that the fund will be administered through the pre-existing Customs Grant Scheme, which will open for applications in March 2021.
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Movement of People
Free movement ended on 31 December 2020 and from 1 January 2021 the UK has a new global immigration system. The deal has not changed any of the information previously communicated around the skills-based immigration system. This system requires employers to register as a sponsor in order to recruit from abroad and in order to employ someone outside of the UK the individual must meet job, salary and language requirements.
To support employers in implementing the new points-based immigration system, the Home Office has launched a suite of resources including a podcast, updated factsheet and guidance.
- Podcast - In this podcast, the Home Office is joined by a panel of independent business and immigration experts for a discussion on hiring from overseas from January 2021 and steps organisations can take to get ready
- Factsheet - includes guidance on right to work and frontier workers
- Guidance - includes an introduction to the new points-based system, information on the visa routes available, eligibility criteria and how to prepare
Get more information on how to prepare for the new points-based immigration system.
Movement of Goods
The Government has now published guidance and explanatory materials on the free trade agreement with the EU.
Northern Ireland remains in the EU's single market for goods to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. This means that goods can flow between the two countries without customs checks or new paperwork. However, moving goods between Northern Ireland and the UK will require new processes and paperwork.
With the signing of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the vast majority of traders moving goods between the UK and EU will avoid paying tariffs on that trade. In order to avoid paying tariffs, all traders must – from 1 January – ‘claim preference’ by way of meeting the relevant rules of origin (RoO) for their products and making a declaration to that effect.
Businesses should ensure that the following actions are carried out as soon as possible so that they are ready to use the Agreement:
- Check the rules that are applicable to their products to ensure that the products are originating in either the UK or EU and can therefore be traded on preferential terms. The general rules are found in Chapter 2 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the ‘Product Specific Rules of Origin’ are contained in Annex ORIG-2;
- Consult accompanying GOV.UK guidance (link below);
- Make sure they and their EU suppliers/customers have agreed whether a claim will be based on an exporter’s declaration or on the importer’s knowledge, informing customs agents as appropriate; and
- Get ready to make the appropriate statement on the commercial and customs documentation for all consignments being traded on and after 1 January.
The relevant GOV.UK guidance on claiming preference, including links to the Agreement itself and information about customs can be found here.
Marking of Manufactured Products
From 1 January 2021 there will be three different product marks that manufacturers, and others in the supply chain, may need to apply. The rules governing these marks will depend on where the product is intended to be used.
The three marks are:
- The EU’s marking for product conformity (CE marking)
- The United Kingdom Conformity Assessed mark (UKCA mark)
- The United Kingdom Northern Ireland mark (UK(NI) mark), which is additional to the CE marking in some instances
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published guidance on the conformity marking of construction products for placing on the markets of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the European Union.
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Accounting and Reporting
There have been changes to the UK's corporate reporting regime which may affect a small number of companies. If your business has a presence in the EU you may need to change how you undertake accounting and reporting to ensure compliance with the relevant requirements.
If you are an EEA company the government has provided separate guidance. Find out what you need to do if you’re an EEA company working the UK.
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Brexit and CIOB Membership Status
The CIOB can confirm that the status of our members using a post-nominal that we have awarded, i.e. MCIOB or FCIOB, is not impacted by Brexit. For all members, including those based in the UK and the EU, there is no change in your Chartered Membership status. The right of CIOB members to use the MCIOB/FCIOB post-nominal has not changed. More specifically, the CIOB’s ability to assess and award Chartered status has not been impacted. Our professional qualifications have been, and will continue to be, independently benchmarked by UK ENIC (National Recognition Information Centre).
Those who've worked as a construction professional in an EU member state will be aware that some countries require a licence to practice professionally. Prior to Brexit, the CIOB was not recognised as a licensing body by the EU – that remains unchanged.
More information about the benchmarking of CIOB Chartered status, with MCIOB being comparable to a British honours degree and FCIOB comparable to Master’s degree level, can be found on the ENIC website:
The CIOB also holds a Royal Charter, with our objectives being:
- The promotion for the public benefit of the science and practice of building and construction.
- The advancement of public education in the said science and practice including all necessary research and the publication of the results of all such research.