Britain is weighing plans to scrap visa fees for the world’s best scientists, academics and digital experts, reports Financial Times.The move is aimed at boosting growth and positioning the UK as a magnet for global talent.The debate comes just as the United States under Donald Trump has raised the fee for an H-1B visa to $100,000.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has set up a “global talent task force” to explore reforms, with officials in Number 10, the PM’s office at Downing Street, and the Treasury discussing options to make it easier and cheaper for high-level professionals to settle in the country. One proposal is to abolish visa charges for people with exceptional achievements.“We’re talking about the sort of people who have attended the world’s top five universities or have won prestigious prizes,” one official was quoted as saying to the Financial Times. “We’re kicking around the idea of cutting costs to zero,” they added.The task force is chaired by Starmer’s business adviser Varun Chandra and science minister Lord Patrick Vallance. The Home Office is not yet formally engaged in the talks, but officials said all immigration routes are kept under review. A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our global talent routes attract and retain high-skilled talent, particularly in science, research and technology, to maintain the UK’s status as a leading international hub for emerging talent and innovation.”
Global talent visa
The global talent visa was introduced in 2020, and costs £766 per applicant, with partners and children charged the same fee. An annual health surcharge of £1,035 applies to each person. The visa is aimed at people recognised as leaders or future leaders in science, engineering, medicine, humanities, digital technology, or arts and culture. In the year ending June 2023, the number of visas granted rose by 76 per cent to 3,901, reports Financial Times.Chancellor Rachel Reeves is also looking at the tax system to spot barriers that might stop highly skilled people from moving to Britain. Her recent changes to the non-dom tax regime (The non-dom tax system refers to the special tax status in UK for people who live in Britain but are officially considered “non-domiciled”) raised fears that many wealthy individuals would leave. She is now reviewing inheritance tax rules for non-doms before the autumn Budget.Universities have welcomed the review but urged more support. Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK International, said the government’s £50 million Global Talent Fund was “relatively modest” and added: “Ultimately to attract global talent we need to be able to offer funding and autonomy and make the transition as smooth as possible.”
MAGA chief’s $100,000 hike shakes H-1B dream
US President Donald Trump shocked the tech industry on Friday when he announced a massive rise in the cost of H-1B visas, hiking the fee to $100,000. The H-1B programme has long been the main route for skilled foreign workers, especially Indians, to take up jobs in America’s technology, research, and healthcare sectors. Indians make up more than 70% of H-1B holders, many of them working in Silicon Valley companies, hospitals, and universities. Immigration policy analyst Gil Guerra said the change is more likely to cause medium- and long-term labour shortages in the US. David Bier of the Cato Institute warned it would deal a “devastating blow” to American innovation and competitiveness.