UK to offer new visas for AI and life science workers, says Reeves
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Chancellor tells World Economic Forum in Davos she ‘absolutely’ supports wealth creation. The UK government will publish an immigration white paper later this year including proposals to introduce visas aimed at high-skilled workers as part of its push to kickstart growth, Rachel Reeves has announced.
The chancellor told a breakfast event at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “We are going to look again at routes for the highest skilled people, visas particularly in the areas of AI and life sciences.”. She added: “Britain is open for business, we are open for talent, we’ve got some of the best universities, some of the best entrepreneurs in the world, but we also want to bring in global talent.”.
Ministers have repeatedly said they to reduce overall migration, and Keir Starmer accused the Conservative government of conducting an “open borders experiment”. But Labour is keen to show the UK remains open to high-skilled workers. Asked whether – like Tony Blair’s Labour government – she was relaxed about people becoming wealthy, Reeves said, “absolutely”.
Businesses are already able to recruit staff from overseas under the Home Office’s skilled visa system. There were 50,900 applications for skilled worker visas from main applicants between April and December last year, according to the latest statistics.
Ministers intend to consult with businesses about possible changes to the regime to bring in top talent. They will also direct British diplomats overseas to highlight the benefits of coming to live in the UK for high-skilled workers and entrepreneurs.
