On 30 January 2025, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee expressed concerns about “the impact of the UK’s immigration system on its ability to attract STEM talent”.
In a letter to the Home Secretary, the committee acknowledged the Government’s pledge to reduce net migration, but also stressed that the Government needs to take a more holistic approach, such as “conducting further research into the impact of its changing visa policies, particularly for students and researchers in STEM subjects”.
The letter urged the Government to take the following points on board when introducing the forthcoming Immigration White Paper.
- The UK’s immigration policy must recognise that there is an increasingly competitive global race for STEM talent. The current policies including rapidly rising visa fees and immigration policy uncertainty are severely harming the UK’s ability to compete in this race.
- The up-front costs, including Immigration Health Surcharge for dependants, are much higher than those in comparable countries, and risk significantly deterring early career scientists, researchers, and technology workers.
- The Global Talent application criteria is unclear. Too many early career researchers fall through the gaps in the current immigration system, being neither well-suited to the Skilled Worker visa route nor the highly selective Global Talent visa.
- The ban on dependants for postgraduate taught courses has had a disproportionate impact on higher education institutions with high proportions of courses on STEM subjects.
- The Government must invest in obtaining a better understanding of the impacts of changing visa policies, including those for students.
The following suggestions have been made:
- If the Immigration Health Surcharge is to be retained, the Government must consider allowing payment in instalments. This could be done through PAYE, as is the case for general taxation, through annual charges, or through other mitigations.
- The Government should clarify and potentially expand the eligibility criteria for the Global Talent visa or introduce a new route for high potential individuals and postdoctoral researchers at an early stage in their careers. It should be clear to applicants in STEM fields when they are eligible to apply for Global Talent visas.
- The Government should review its dependants ban and consider whether granting exemptions to students and researchers in STEM subjects would result in a net benefit for the UK.
- The Government should, as part of its Immigration White Paper, conduct further research into the impacts of its changing visa policies, particularly for students and researchers in STEM subjects, as well as the long-term outcomes for those who enter on student visas.
We hope that these suggestions are implemented in the future.
If you are recruiting STEM talent, or seeking to work in the UK in those areas, do not hesitate to reach out for a conversation with our Business and Skilled Immigration Team either by clicking the link or emailing ebarrera@turpinmiller.co.uk.