Graduates from the world’s top universities, including Harvard and Yale, will be eligible for visas to work in Britain under a new post-Brexit immigration drive to “put ability and talent first”.
On Monday, the Government will launch its “high potential individual” route to attract the “brightest and best” graduates from the world’s most prestigious overseas universities to come and work in the UK at the beginning of their careers.
Successful applicants with a bachelor’s or master’s degree, regardless of which country they were born in, will get a two-year work visa and will be permitted to bring their families. Those who hold PhDs can apply to stay for three years. The graduates can then switch to other long-term employment visas.
It is part of the Government’s new post-Brexit points-based immigration regime designed to attract skilled and talented workers from throughout the world after ending the freedom of movement for EU nationals.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said that the “exciting” new route was part of the Government’s ambition to “put ability and talent first, not where someone comes from”.
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, said it would enable the UK to grow as an international hub for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
“We want the businesses of tomorrow to be built here today, which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to forge their careers here,” he added.
The new scheme will also be seen as part of an attempt by Boris Johnson to put partygate behind him by launching a series of policy initiatives to show off the benefits of Brexit.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister paved the way for the return of pounds and ounces in British shops with a plan to repeal EU-derived law requiring metric units to be used for all trade, with only limited exceptions.
The news followed a relaxation of rules for foreign students graduating from UK universities. Under another post-Brexit change, they can now stay and work in Britain for up to two years rather than having to leave immediately after being awarded their degrees.
The resulting surge in overseas students to 470,000 last year has contributed to a record one million foreign nationals being handed work, study or family visas in a single 12-month period, figures showed last week. Research has suggested that more foreign nationals will come to the UK this year than before Brexit.
The new visa route will be open to graduates from the top 50 non-UK universities awarded degrees no more than five years before the date of application. It will be uncapped, so numbers will depend on demand.
Under previous rules, they would have needed a sponsor with a concrete job offer to get a work visa, to have met required salary levels and show they were not taking a post that could be filled by a British worker.
Eligible universities must appear in the top 50 rankings of at least two of either the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the QS World University Rankings or the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
The most recent list of eligible universities, published online by the Government, is dominated by 20 US institutions including MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Berkeley and New York University.
The remaining institutions are based in Canada, Japan, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, France, Sweden, Switzerland and China.
Candidates will have to pass a security and criminality check, and be able to speak, read, listen and write English to at least the B1 intermediate level. This is defined by the British Council as “those who have the necessary fluency to communicate, without effort, with native speakers”.
The visa will cost £715 and is subject to the immigration health surcharge, a sum that successful visa or immigration applicants pay, which allows the use of the NHS. Anyone applying for the visa must have maintenance funds of at least £1,270.
It followed a similar “elite” visa scheme for winners of the top international awards in science, arts, film and theatre where successful applications are fast-tracked by the Home Office.
The Home Office has drawn up a list of elite award-winners from the Oscars and Baftas to the Brits and Nobel Prizes, who will be allowed to sidestep the Government’s new immigration controls to secure their three-year visas.
