The House of Lords science and technology committee has issued a stark warning that the UK’s current visa system puts it at a competitive disadvantage in the race for global scientific talent. In a letter to home secretary Yvette Cooper, chancellor Rachel Reeves and science minister Patrick Vallance, the committee’s chair Julia King described the barriers faced by postgraduate students and early-career researchers who wish to move to the UK as ‘an act of national self-harm’.
The committee is calling for the government to review the ‘high up-front burden’ of current visa fees, pointing out that these are higher than any comparable country. Since 2022, the cost of a five-year skilled worker visa has increased by 22% to almost £12,000, while the cost of a five-year global talent visa has risen by 58% to almost £6000. On top of this, people moving to the UK also have to pay the immigration health surcharge, which has risen by 66% to £1035 per year, with payment required for all years upfront.
Meanwhile, new measures announced by the government last month mean that the cost of a certificate of sponsorship required by companies hiring foreign workers will increase by 120% to £525.
In the letter, King – an engineer who is chancellor at Cranfield University – also noted that her university had seen a 47% decline in the number of postgraduate taught students over two years, putting at risk ‘a whole ecosystem’ of research and teaching that relies on the subsidy from international student fees.
King points out that research, science and technology are key growth-driving sectors, but that the UK is ‘at risk of falling behind in the race for talent in these critical areas’ and that the country’s immigration policy must adapt to recognise the global competition for talent.
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