The UK government has promised more visas for highly skilled tech talent as it looks to woo international AI workers and science graduates amid a wider shake up to its immigration policy.
Startups in the UK have been grappling with talent shortages in key sectors such as AI and quantum, as they compete with Big Tech’s growing European presence and increasingly well-funded competition abroad.
In a white paper published on Monday, the government said it would increase visa access for top university graduates and double the number of workers that overseas businesses can send to the UK with the aim of establishing a presence in the country.
While the proposed reforms have been welcomed by industry leaders, who say they could open up access to new talent pipelines, many warn that the plans aren’t targeted enough and won’t have tangible benefit to UK startups without addressing key challenges like lack of late-stage funding.
“While the government’s pledge to simplify access for highly skilled workers is a step in the right direction, the proposals are vague and risk falling short of what’s needed,” says Calum Chace, cofounder of AI safety company Conscium.
“In fast-moving sectors like AI, talent is in high demand, yet without meaningful reform and operational clarity, these announcements may amount to little more than political posturing.”
More visas for tech talent
The UK currently has schemes including the Global Talent visa, for people working in research, arts and digital technology, as well as the high potential individual (HPI) visa for graduates from top global universities. Both allow individuals to live and work in the UK without needing a job offer or sponsorship.
The government hopes to bolster its attractiveness to overseas talent in key industries by speeding up the visa process and expanding the number of people on its “high talent” routes, it said in the white paper.
It’ll look to increase places on its scheme for research interns, including those working in the field of AI, and plans include a “targeted and capped expansion” of the HPI visa, doubling the number of top universities it covers. It also wants to make it “simpler and easier” for top scientific and design talent to use the Global Talent visa.
“If implemented effectively, the government’s proposed visa reforms could significantly improve UK startups’ access to highly skilled tech talent, specifically, younger, newly educated ambitious professionals,” says Sarah Skelton, cofounder at startup recruiter Flourish.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that the UK is readying a separate new scheme designed to attract top international research talent. The initiative would be backed by £50m in public funding and provide research grants and help scientists relocate to Britain.
Europe also made its own play for global research talent last week, announcing a €500m funding package to attract foreign academics to the EU — though the scheme had its critics.
Migrant messaging
Many are more sceptical about the impact of the UK’s immigration policy changes, and say wider messaging around immigration could impact the country’s attractiveness to foreign talent.
The government emphasised reducing migration figures in a reem of announcements on Monday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer warning that the country risks becoming an “island of strangers”.
“If the main message coming through is one of new barriers, lower numbers and a less welcoming environment overall, then the government must work much harder to ensure its message to tech talent isn’t lost in translation,” Bella Rhodes, talent policy lead at the Startup Coalition, tells Sifted.
For early-stage startups, the proposed reforms don’t go far enough by just focusing on very high level talent, says Chris Erven, cofounder of KETS Quantum Security.
“Founders don’t just need rockstar engineers, they need mid-level developers, designers and product managers who are crucial to getting products off the ground,” he tells Sifted, adding that those jobs rarely meet the criteria for Global Talent visas.
“Equally, critical roles like operations managers, growth marketers and finance leads continue to fall outside the eligible occupation list. These are the people that keep startups running, and growing.”
While hiking visa numbers for tech talent will help UK startups, says Roei Samuel, founder and CEO at talent matchmaking platform Connectd, there needs to be “more explicit mentions of supporting those building businesses with AI”.
“The Prime Minister has vocalised his ambition for the UK to become an AI superpower, so I hope these plans will specifically target deep technical talent beyond simply ‘research interns’ to ensure we can compete with the likes of China and the US.”
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/uk-talent-visa-reform/
