The UK government is looking at ways to make it easier—and cheaper—for the world’s brightest minds to move to Britain. According to a report in the Financial Times, Prime Minister
Keir Starmer is considering proposals to scrap visa fees for leading scientists, academics, and digital experts.
The plan is being shaped by Starmer’s “global talent task force,” which is exploring how to bring in top international talent to fuel economic growth. One option on the table: offering zero-cost visas to people who’ve studied at the world’s top universities or earned prestigious awards in their fields.
Currently, a UK global talent visa costs £766 (about $1,030), and family members pay the same fee. Cutting those costs to nothing could make Britain more attractive—especially as the U.S. moves in the opposite direction.
Just this week, the Trump administration introduced a hefty $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas, a route widely used by U.S. tech companies to hire skilled workers from abroad. That move, insiders say, has added momentum to the UK’s push to revamp its own system.
The proposals are still under discussion in Downing Street and the Treasury, and no official decision has been made yet. Photo by dannyman, Wikimedia commons.