EU referendum: How would a Brexit affect UK immigration?

Immigration is one of the major issues in the upcoming EU referendum in the UK. The public take to the polls on 23 June 2016 knowing that a vote to leave the European Union would significantly change the way people enter, and leave, the country.

In the UK, the fear of rising migration has been an issue for a number of years now. Political parties such as Ukip have campaigned against the EU due to the visa-free travel it created across the continent, saying it leads to higher immigration into the country, which they claim is a negative.

The Leave campaign say they would replace this policy with an Australian-style points system, which they say would mean that more skilled workers could move into the UK.

Remain campaigners can point to a lack of answers from the Leave campaign over what would replace EU policies on immigration. There has been no definitive answer from them over what would happen to the hundreds of thousands of European migrants in the country already, let alone the significant amount of Britons living abroad. Labour has also defended the role of immigrants in the country, saying that increased immigration improves the country, with many migrants working in the NHS and other frontline services.

Amid this confusion over the subject, IBTimes UK has spoken to members of the Leave and Remain campaign to find out what impact a Brexit could really have on UK immigration.