Plan to cut visa fees to nothing is for individuals who have studied at world’s top five universities or won top prizes
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering plans to scrap some of the visa fees for leading international talent when the US has hardened its stance on immigration, the Financial Times said on Monday.
Starmer’s “global talent taskforce” has been developing plans to woo the world’s top scientists, scholars and digital specialists to the UK in an effort to fuel economic growth, the paper added, quoting individuals familiar with the talks within Number 10 and the Treasury.
The proposal to slash visa fees to zero is for individuals who have studied at the world’s best five universities or have received highly coveted prizes, an official informed the newspaper.
UK considers move to abolish visa fees in effort to entice international talent: report
The report said that the reform plans were under consideration in Number 10 and the Treasury before the Trump administration confirmed its plan to charge a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas, extensively used by US tech firms, from Sunday.
The US move, though, has given “wind in the sails” to those advocating for reforms in Britain’s high-end visa system with a view of triggering growth before the Budget on November 26, a source familiar with the UK negotiations said.
The UK’s global talent visa application fee is 766 pounds ($1,030), with partners and children paying the same amount.
Downing Street and Treasury did not have an immediate response to a request for comment from Reuters.
