Last month, representatives of leading universities and scientific organisations met with representatives of the Home Office to discuss the impact of the UK’s immigration policy on the science and engineering community in the UK. One of the main points highlighted was that plans to reduce immigration together with complicated visa procedures for visiting researchers, were making the UK an unattractive destination for scholars. Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), the leading independent advocate for science and engineering in the UK, is now lobbying the government to change its policies to avoid deterring international students and academics.
Government Told Skilled Migration is Essential to UK
Critics of the government’s immigration policy are of the view that the future of the UK’s international competitiveness is not low-cost labour, but is high-skilled, high-value jobs in innovative world-leading sectors.
Sarah Main, director of CaSE believes that “the really big issue is the one of how the UK is perceived internationally and how attractive it seems to people who wish to come here.”
Susan Kay, executive director of the Engineering Professors’ Council in Horsham, is of the opinion that the current complicated visa procedures have led to many complaints by international scientists and believes that the UK’s visa system “needs to be simpler, it needs to be more accessible”.
Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa Route
In 2011, the government introduced the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa route which is open to exceptionally talented migrants in the fields of science, humanities, engineering and the arts, who wish to work in the UK. These individuals are those who are already internationally recognised at the highest level as world leaders in their particular field or who have already demonstrated exceptional promise in these fields and are likely to become world leaders in their particular area.
Despite the government stating they want to attract the ‘best and brightest’, there is a limit of 1,000 endorsements between 6 April 2013 and 5 April 2014. This may be deterring exceptionally talented migrants in the fields of science, humanities, engineering and the arts from coming to the UK.
Successful UK Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa Applications
Our team of experienced and professionally qualified immigration solicitors and barristers will be able to guide you through the process of making a Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa application step by step and limit the possibility of failure by complying with the strict letter of law.
We also undertake a great deal of appeal work before the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal and have a successful track record of successful results for our clients. We have the experience and the knowledge required to take your case forward successfully. If you have had a Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa refused, contact us to discuss your case so that we can provide you with a case assessment.
Contact us so that we can review your case and provide you with an assessment.