Right everyone, let's take a quick look at what the Government is really saying about this "Global Talent Visa", shall we? (Thread 1/12) #globaltalent #visa #Immigration
The plan for a "new" Global Talent Visa has been around for a while. In August 2019, Boris Johnson made a 'big' announcement about removing the cap on Tier 1 Exceptional Talent, focusing his comments on welcoming scientific researchers to the UK. It wasn't a 'new route' (2/12)
In December 2019, a UKVI press release (gov.uk/government/new…) set out more information. This focused on adding to the number of scientific research fellowships that can assist applicants to enter the Exceptional Talent route. So again, nothing really 'new' (3/12)
Tier 1 Exceptional Talent is an exclusive route reserved for fields like science and tech, limited in annual numbers and only for those who are 'world leading talent'. The route serves just more than scientific researchers , including Arts applicants, for example (4/12)
Until now, there hasn't been a suggestion that Tier 1 Exceptional Talent would be replaced in its entirety, but that's how this story is being reported today (take a look at articles in the Guardian or from the BBC) (5/12)
If Tier 1 Exceptional Talent is replaced, that is bad news for the UK. This route is absolutely no threat to the security of our borders and assists in welcoming exceptional candidates in key sectors which may struggle after Brexit, eg Digital Tech (6/12)
But what is the Govt actually saying? They've released a few details: gov.uk/government/new…. 3 headlines: "Top scientists & researchers to be given fast tracked entry to the UK", "No cap on who can benefit", "£300m made available for research into advanced mathematics" (7/12)
The Govt press release reports the Global Talent Visa as a "new, fast-track visa scheme". The route is planned to take effect from 20 February 2020. The press release also expressly states that the new Gloabl Talent option, "replaces the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route" (8/12)
The new route has UK Research & Innovation at its forefront. It's currently unclear whether UKRI adds to existing Exceptional Talent endorsing bodies, or replaces them. UKRI's website today speaks of a new visa route focusing on "scientists, researchers and mathematicians" (9/12)
So far, we've seen nothing to confirm what will happen to those currently eligible to apply under Exceptional Talent in the Arts or Digital Tech sectors. Endorsing bodies in those areas also appear to be silent on the future of the route, for now (10/12)
A Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules is now expected, and the details of that should fully explain whether the Govt really intends to shut out exceptional Arts and Digital Tech applicants, and why. We'll put out more detailed analysis then (11/12)
For now, we just have to hope that (not for the first time) the Govt doesn't quite mean what it's saying when it comes to #Immigration. Falling behind in areas like Digital Tech and Arts does nothing to help the UK or the generations coming after us (12/12)
