Scientific academy Royal Society says immigration fees to the UK for foreign workers are 17 times higher than the average for other leading scientific countries, which makes the UK unattractive for international scientists and engineers, according to Reuters.
The fees are partly inflated by upfront payments for access to the UK’s public health service. They hinder the recruitment of international talent to fill the UK’s skills gap and undermine Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s “mission” to grow the economy. Ed Roberts, head of Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, argues that the measure slows down research.
If we can’t convince people to come here, they’re going somewhere else.
Fees for visas to live and work in Britain have soared as successive governments have pledged to cut record net migration. Roberts said an immunology researcher from Hong Kong rejected an offer to join the cancer research laboratory in Scotland because he would have had to pay about 15,000 pounds ($19,800) upfront to move to the UK with his family.
As soon as this kind of things comes in, the number of applicants we have go down. It just makes it hard to convince them that this is an attractive place to be.
Currently, the UK charges businesses £12,120 for a five-year skilled worker visa, almost 60 per cent more than in 2021, said Louise Haycock, a partner at immigration services firm Fragomen. However, the cost could rise to £30,000 if a partner and two children are added.
British fees have been increased as net migration has hit record levels in recent years. This has further fuelled debate about the ability of overstretched public services to cope with population growth and the need for foreign workers to boost the economy.
The former government also raised the minimum wage threshold for immigrant workers by almost 50% in the hope of curbing so-called “cut-price foreign labour.”
