Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
Conclusion 145
First Report - Universities and Scotland
Published 28 May 2021
Addressed to Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee Universities and Scotland All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
A UK immigration policy raised—and praised—by many witnesses to this inquiry was the Post-study work visa (detailed further in paragraph 78).338 Witnesses were also complimentary of the UK’s Global Talent visa, and its ability to facilitate inward mobility of world-leading research talent. Wellcome have said the Global Talent visa “is an excellent first step towards ensuring that administrative barriers facing researchers coming to the UK are as low as possible”.339 They have however criticized its cost, noting that “the UK is one of the most expensive countries in the world for immigration charges”.340 Both Minister Lochhead341 and Wellcome have highlighted that there is: [ … ] an upfront cost of more than £13,000 for a family of four on a five- year Global Talent visa. In contrast, the French Talent visa is approximately £1,000 for the same family.342
From: Scottish Affairs Committee, First Report - Universities and Scotland (HC 54), 28 May 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 April 2022 (deadline 28 July 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out continued work with the devolved administrations and existing UK-wide policies on international students, immigration, research funding and talent, and states it will submit a response to the earlier Immigration and Scotland report "shortly".
- On the Turing Scheme, it confirmed funding for three years, including "£110 million for the 2022/23 Academic Year". It states the scheme "prioritises pupils, students and learners over staff and inward mobility funding", and says the first year's impact will be evaluated.
- On Erasmus+, it states that President Von Der Leyen "has previously confirmed that association by part of a country is not legally possible".
- On UKRI, it states that Board appointees "are not recruited to represent any constituency, sector or regional grouping", while a legal requirement to have regard to research conditions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is taken into account. It says Research England's place on the Executive Committee reflects its status as a legal component of UKRI.
- On visa costs, it states that "UK visa fees are broadly in line with our competitors" and that it will "continue to keep visa fees under review".