Startups tell Labour to snatch talent ‘displaced’ by Trump’s H-1B fee
An entrepreneur campaign group backed by executives at top UK businesses has urged the Labour government to re-design its Global Talent visa to take innovators “displaced” by President Trump’s radical changes to the H-1B visa.
The Startup Coalition has urged Home Office officials to change its Global Talent visa to help individuals re-locate from the US and move to the UK.
In a letter to home secretary Shabana Mahmood, the think tank told the government that it should seize the chance to attract founders in the US who may be affected by Trump’s new $100,000 fee on the H-1B visa, the main route for skilled workers to live in the US.
“This is not a moment for quiet diplomacy or understated British reserve. This is a moment for bold, decisive action,” Dom Hallas, executive director of the Startup Coalition, wrote.
“The H-1B system has been a lifeblood of Silicon Valley’s talent pipeline.”
“These individuals are now actively exploring alternatives, and the UK must position itself as the destination of choice.”
The letter pointed out that, with an estimated 700,000 currently on the H-1B visa, the UK could benefit from “something far more ambitious and targeted”.
The group, which is backed by Multiverse founder Euan Blair and Bloomberg director Constantin Cotzias, called on Labour ministers to provide “expedited processing” for H1-B visa holders and applicants keen to relocate to the UK.
Further one-to-one casework support should be offered to ease the burden for engineers and scientists currently based in the US, according to researchers.
It also said the government should expand the number of grants offered to around 80 researchers and specifically target “engineering and founding talent displaced by US policy changes”.
“The UK has always been at its best when it embraces the world’s talent and gives them the platform to build extraordinary things. This is our moment to prove that this remains true.”
Labour considering removing fees
The letter comes two days after Trump’s changes came into effect, with the likes of Microsoft and JP Morgan sending emergency notices for staff to remain in the US.
Reports suggested that government officials were working on plans to remove fees paid for the global talent visa.
People arriving in the UK on the scheme, which is designed for research prize winners and other digital or cultural leaders, have to pay a £766 fee to apply and pay a £1,035 healthcare surcharge.
Labour officials are expected to finalise plans on business immigration routes by the end of the year, with reforms of the Expansion Worker and Innovator Founder visas to help drive growth in the UK.