As enterprises are engaged in a lack of skills and global competition for the top, intensifying, Great Britain Immigration policy I must do more to actively welcome and save the best professionals in the world.
Nevertheless, the current rhetoric and the political landscape sends mixed signals. While the Government of Great Britain introduced the initiatives to attract qualified workers, entrepreneurs and innovators, high costs and sometimes an undesirable risk that undermines these efforts. In order for the UK to remain the main place for global talent, immigration must more closely comply with business needs, making the process effective and sincerely hospitable.
Economic reality and immigration needs
According to the technical nation Unlocking the growth potential of Great Britain report 2025, one of the three founders of Great Britain says that the availability of the best talents is their greatest obstacle to growth. In the same report, each of the two founders says that improving immigration and visa processes will best support their needs for talents.
Recent strategic partnership between USA and Great Britain To deliver the largest AI factory in Europe is an ambitious step that emphasizes the country's commitment to technological innovation and economic growth.
Access to talents will play a vital role in supporting such large -scale initiatives. Immigration significantly contributes to the fight against lack of labor, especially in industries where internal talents are either meager or do not have the necessary examination. When domestic workers cannot fill out vacancies, and training initiatives will not quickly fill out gaps, qualified foreign workers are necessary to overcome these gaps and meet the needs of business.
In the UK, immigration also serves as an important direct source of income for the state. Migrants living in the UK for six months or more should pay for the health of immigration, levying about £ 1035 for an adult contender per year, intended as a contribution to NHS. Employers also pay an additional fee for immigration skills (ISC), as a rule, £ 1,000 per year of sponsorship, which is expected to grow by 32% this fall. According to the Department of National Statistics, only in the first and 2nd quarter of 2025 ISC introduced about £ 251 million in the state.
Current immigration paths
To attract the best global talents, the government presented a number of visa options designed to bring the best and bright from all over the world. The global talent visa attracts world leaders in their areas. Recognizing the strategic economic importance of attracting the best talents in the world, the global target group of the Prime Minister, according to reports, considers proposals for the cancellation of some visa fees for foreign scientists and digital experts moving to the UK. Nevertheless, this may not help talent pipelines when candidates cannot correspond to a high bar for the category.
A high potential individual visa is aimed at attracting the best international talents to the UK, but is limited by graduates from the Higher University. Other options include a mobility scheme for graduates and youth, which allow foreign students and youth to get valuable experience in the UK, creating a pipeline of future talents, but both have restrictions.
The threshold concessions of wages exist for young people and recent graduates on sponsorship routes. Currently, experienced candidates for rentals for a qualified visa for an employee should receive higher than 41,700 pounds a year or a professional rate. The new participant discount means that those who qualify should instead meet the requirements of a lower wage: above 33,400 pounds per year or 70% of the rate.
Problems and gaps
While concessions exist for new participants, qualified thresholds of employees' salaries Stay problematic. Four years later, a new participant must correspond to a complete threshold of wages, potentially increasing by 30% in four years (or two years, if the time was previously spent on a final visa). The thresholds of wages are calculated on the basis of the average expectation of wages for the role, and not for the consideration of the differential of income for those who have five or 20 years of experience, and they do not take into account regional variations of wages. There are problems not only about wages in the initial statement, but also about the ability to continue sponsorship when expanding.
While sponsorship of the work follows a clear system based on points, constantly increasing the threshold values ​​of wages, growing fees and uncertainty regarding the settlement policy reduce the attractiveness of the UK for enterprises and individuals who seek to establish not only a career, but also home life.
Looking into the future
UK success in attracting and Preservation of global talent It will depend on its ability to balance the immigration policy through the approach to business. The goal should be to make the UK not only a place where the best talents in the world want to come, but where they decide to stay, build their careers and contribute to a common future.
Kink Tonshev is a senior manager in Global Law Firm Fragomen.
