Call for reform of visa system

The government’s immigration policy places the future of engineering at risk, says the Campaign for Science and Engineering

The Campaign for Science and Engineering has slammed the government’s immigration policy, and warned that it places the future of engineering at risk.

The campaign’s report, Immigration: Keeping the UK at the Heart of Global Science and Engineering, said that complex rules, unclear guidance and bureaucracy are making immigration increasingly difficult for economically valuable workers.

The government made changes to the visa system in 2010 in an effort to reduce net immigration to below 100,000 a year. The changes have made it more difficult for engineers outside the EU to gain entry to the UK to work. Politicians and industry representatives have been campaigning for the changes to be reversed. 

Sarah Main, director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, said: “There needs to be support for applicants looking to come to the UK. The government must better support the universities and companies trying to attract overseas workers.

“Our report has picked out very specific policies, because in such a complex system I think it is more helpful to ask for a set of small, specific changes than to bid for a full-scale overhaul.” 

A rule highlighted in the report is that researchers are prevented from working in the UK for more than seven years if their work involves 180 days of travel overseas each year.

The Institution of Chemical Engineers contributed to the report, stating that many flagship UK companies owe their success to migrant workers and rely on international skills and trade.