The UK has been told it will have to relax its immigration rules for Australians if it wants a free trade deal with Canberra. <br /> <br />Alexander Downer, Australia's high commissioner to the UK, said the country would want better access for business people working in the UK before reaching a post-Brexit deal. <br /> <br />He said it might be possible to strike a deal within eight months of Brexit. <br /> <br />Preliminary moves over a possible agreement had been made, he added. <br /> <br />UK Prime Minister Theresa May has already said she will begin talks to strike a trade deal with New Zealand in the coming months. <br /> <br />Mr Downer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Australia's access for businesses had often been a part of its free trade negotiations. <br /> <br />"It might just make it a bit simpler actually," he said. <br /> <br />"For example, an Australian company that invests in the UK might want to bring some of its executives to the UK. <br /> <br />"That can be done with what are called tier 2 visas, but maybe that could be made a little bit easier. <br /> <br />"I suspect they would be the only sort of changes you'd be looking at." <br /> <br />Scoping paper <br /> <br />Mr Downer suggested the negotiations over visa arrangements should be discussed at the same time as striking a deal on the free movement of goods. <br /> <br />An Australia-UK agreement could be reached very quickly after Brexit, he said, referring to the deal Canberra struck with Washington in eight months during George W Bush's presidency. <br /> <br />Mr Downer said the two nations had already been in talks over what a free trade agreement could look like. <br /> <br />"Obviously once the UK leaves the EU it can negotiate free trade agreements but not before then. <br /> <br />"But we can scope it out and we've provided a scoping paper to the British government to explain what we think the scope of a free trade agreement should look like." <br /> <br />Under current immigration rules, Australians coming to the UK for work must obtain a tier two visa, which allows them to stay in Britain for a maximum of five years and 14 days. <br /> <br />People are eligible to get one only if they have a skilled job in the UK, a certificate of sponsorship from their employer and a minimum of £945 in savings. <br /> <br />Australians also need to prove they will be earning an appropriate salary, which is usually at least £25,000, or the appropriate rate for the job offered, although there are exemptions to the rules.
