London: The UK government is looking at bolstering a drive to attract global talent with a possible visa fee waiver to support the world’s top science and tech talent relocation to the country, a media report said on Monday.
The Global Talent Taskforce, backed up by a 54-million-pound Global Talent Fund launched earlier this year, is revving up further to lure international experts, including Indians, even as the US announced a clampdown on its H-1B visas used by global techies, according to a ‘Financial Times’ report.
The taskforce, which reports directly to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, works across 10 Downing Street and the UK Treasury to explore ways to boost the UK’s economic growth.
“We’re kicking around the idea of cutting (visa) costs to zero,” the newspaper quoted a government official as saying.
It comes as President Donald Trump’s order imposing a $100,000 one-off application fee on all new H-1B visa applications came into force on Sunday. The visa is used overwhelmingly by American tech majors. The UK operates a Global Talent Visa system, which is often perceived as heavily bureaucratic and led to Starmer launching his taskforce back in June. It is chaired by the UK PM’s business adviser, Varun Chandra, and Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance.
“The launch of the Taskforce and 54-million-pound Global Talent Fund, which will attract world-class researchers and their teams to the UK, covering relocation and research costs over five years starting this year, sends a clear signal to exceptional talent and businesses that the UK seeks to continue its global leadership in growth-driving sectors,” the UK’s DSIT said in a statement.