The Department for BEIS – Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy – has announced new UK visas in the form of proposed High Potential Individual and Scale-up Visas. In its UK Innovation Strategy document, the growth plan includes a new focus on attracting global talent through visas, and then retaining it.
The document also states that the BEIS intends to:
“open Britain’s borders to the world’s best innovators to make the UK a global hub via the Office for Talent; open up new, improved visa routes for innovators, and offer a funding offer for globally mobile talent. We’ll tackle bureaucracy, giving innovators control and creating a lowe-friction, innovator-friendly research and development system.”
It has been noted by commentators that there has been a low uptake rate for the Innovator Visa. Only 159 Innovator Visas have been granted since its launch in March 2019. Despite this, the government intends to amend the Innovator route. The following changes are likely:
- A simplified criteria for business eligibility (showing that the business is innovative and has high growth potential
- Fast-track applications (making it easier and faster for applications to be accepted)
- A more flexible route (in future it may not be needed to have over £50,000 in investment funds, and work restrictions may be relaxed)
Scarsdale Greater Manchester Immigration Solicitors
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