What’s on the Horizon for the UK Science Sector and Immigration?

The UK’s re-entry into the Horizon programme on 1 January 2024 marked a significant development for the country’s scientific community. Horizon Europe—the European Union’s flagship scientific research and innovation programme with a budget of just under 100 billion euros—now offers UK companies and research institutions the opportunity to access grant funding and to participate in collaborative efforts to advance and develop new technologies and address significant global challenges.

The 2024 Spring budget also demonstrates a commitment to bolstering key growth sectors like life sciences. With a focus on supporting emerging medical researchers, the government allocated £45 million in extra funding for life-saving research conducted by medical charities, underscoring efforts to strengthen the UK’s position as a leader in the field of science.

One significant metric for the UK’s growth in the sector, however, is its workforce, and with recent changes to the UK Immigration Rules, there is reason to believe that the UK’s migration and science innovation policies could be at odds.    

Skilled Worker reform

One of the popular working visa categories for the UK is the sponsored Skilled Worker scheme. This route allows UK companies holding a valid Sponsor Licence to recruit people from outside of the local labour market into skilled and vacant job roles. One requirement is meeting a general minimum salary threshold, which increased on 4 April 2024 from £26,200 per annum to £38,700 per annum.

Furthermore, each qualifying job role needs to be mapped to a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code that demonstrates the position is suitably skilled. These SOC codes have minimum salary thresholds to fulfil, requiring applicants to be paid at least the median (50%) salary for that role, jumping up from the 25^th percentile. The higher of the SOC code minimum and the general threshold need to be satisfied, creating challenges for sponsors in securing overseas talent.

Shortage Occupation and Immigration Salary Lists

One avenue that science professionals prospered from pre-April 2024 was the Shortage Occupation List. This was a list of occupations deemed to have a UK skills shortage and benefited from reduced salary rates at 80% of the going rate. Common job roles on the list included health service and public health managers, biological scientists and physical scientists.

Following a review from the Migration Advisory Committee, the government announced a five-point plan for immigration reform, and on 4 April 2024, the new Immigration Salary List (ISL) was published, replacing the Shortage Occupation List. The number of jobs on the ISL has reduced to a total of 23 current occupations, with health service professionals and physical scientists being removed.

The resulting restrictions to accessing skilled migrant labour may have a considerable effect on the UK’s science sector and use of the Horizon Europe programme, which has international collaboration at its core. The introduction of higher salaries will also impact smaller startups potentially operating on limited budgets as well as individuals being priced out of vital jobs. With significant changes, the door may be open to explore non-sponsored alternatives with no salary requirements.  

Innovator Founder

Another visa that experienced recent reform is the Innovator Founder scheme, which was revised in April 2023. This route is for entrepreneurs with a business concept unique to the UK market that is innovative, viable and scalable. This will be determined by one of UKVI’s approved endorsing bodies. One advantage following recent changes was the removal of the requirement to demonstrate £50,000 in investment funds. The downside however is the reduction of endorsing bodies from more than 50 to just four, as the route aims to become more streamlined in its approach.

One attraction of the Innovator Founder visa is the accelerated route to permanent UK settlement after three years. For those in the UK on Skilled Worker visas facing the prospect of redundancies in the current economic climate, it is important to note that previous time accrued in the UK under Skilled Worker cannot be combined with the Innovator Founder visa towards Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Global Talent

Time under the Skilled Worker route can, however, be combined with the Global Talent visa towards eventual permanent residence. The Global Talent path continues to be a real consideration for applicants both from within the UK and overseas. This scheme also requires an endorsement, and for science professionals, the preferred bodies are The Royal Society or the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

There are various methods to securing endorsement through these bodies such as: holding or having held an eligible fellowship in the last five years, working on a research grant issued under UKRI or peer review. Likewise, science can span numerous industries, and other endorsing bodies may be contemplated, such as Tech Nation for digital tech candidates. The Global Talent path also has no English Language or maintenance requirements, unlike the Skilled Worker route.

Graduate

Another route for international students graduating from UK universities is the Graduate scheme. This is a short-term route capped at two years, or three years for PhD graduates. Opting for the Graduate route will allow companies to assess whether the candidate is worthwhile investing in the long-term with a view to sponsorship later down the line. Those switching from the Graduate route into the Skilled Worker route also benefit from salary threshold reductions for new entrants, which is £30,960 per annum or 70% of the going rate.

One important point to flag however is that a reliance on new entrant rates means that the maximum initial Skilled Worker duration will be capped at four years, 12 months short of the qualifying period for settlement. The period of permission as a Graduate will also need to be accounted for when determining the initial Skilled Worker visa length.

Looking into the sunset: What’s next on the horizon?

While the UK’s re-participation in the Horizon programme is seen as a positive development, cautious navigation around the recent immigration updates is imperative to ensure the attraction of top talent.

Given that Horizon’s duration extends until 2027, this current period holds significant importance for the UK’s scientific growth, with migrant labour being identified as a crucial asset in achieving these ambitions.

Need to know more?

For further information regarding the UK’s life sciences sector, please contact Partner Rajiv Naik at [email protected] and Manager Russell Hodges at [email protected].

This blog was published on 25 April 2024, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 site, subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.