Government will issue twice as many fast-track visas to elite scientists under new plans to attract world’s sharpest minds to the UK after Brexit
- Number of fast-track visas to double from 62 to more than 120 a year
- Home Secretary Priti Patel said she will increase number of eligible fellowships
- Miss Patel said decision designed to keep the UK ‘at the forefront of innovation’
The number of fast-track visas allowing elite scientists from abroad to work at UK universities will double from 62 to more than 120 a year.
In a move widely praised by higher education bodies, Home Secretary Priti Patel said she will increase the number of eligible fellowships that can benefit from accelerated visas.
The Prime Minister has already announced that after Brexit there will be no cap on top researchers from across the globe coming to the UK, as long as they are endorsed by recognised British bodies.
The likes of The Royal Society, The Royal Academy of Engineering, Tech Nation, Arts Council England and the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television are groups able to endorse people for the existing Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route.
The likes of The Royal Society, The Royal Academy of Engineering, Tech Nation, Arts Council England and the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television are groups able to endorse people for the existing Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route (file photo)
Miss Patel said the decision to double the number of fast-track visas for fellowships in science research was designed to keep the UK ‘at the forefront of innovation’. The rise will come in with immediate effect.
‘The UK is already a world leader in science,’ said Miss Patel. ‘We want to make sure the UK continues to be at the forefront of innovation, so we need an immigration system that attracts the sharpest minds from around the globe.’
Individuals who receive such a fellowship will only need to provide a letter from the relevant funding organisation, which will see them fast tracked to the Home Office visa application stage where immigration checks will be carried out, according to the Government.
Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said the move would encourage ‘researchers to join us in the race to solve the great challenges of the future’. The visas will be valid for up to five years.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the decision to double the number of fast-track visas for fellowships in science research was designed to keep the UK ‘at the forefront of innovation’. The rise will come in with immediate effect (pictured: Miss Patel outside Downing Street last week)
The Royal Society, along with the majority of the UK’s best performing universities, welcomed the increase.
Its president, Venki Ramakrishnan, said: ‘Fellowships are a small but important part of the research workforce, so today’s announcement is a welcome first step in creating an immigration system that encourages talented researchers from all over the world to choose to work in the UK.’
The Russell Group of 24 top universities said the decision showed the Government was ‘serious about reforming the immigration system to ensure the country can attract leading international talent’.