UK to Recruit Top Scientists in New Visa Program

The fast-track Global Talent visa will have no cap on the number of researchers able to come to the UK.

Written byAmy Schleunes

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new visa system, designed to recruit leading scientists and mathematicians to the UK, just days before the country plans to leave the European Union.

“The UK has a proud history of scientific discovery, but to lead the field and face the challenges of the future we need to continue to invest in talent and cutting-edge research,” Johnson says in a statement posted today (January 27). “That is why as we leave the EU I want to send a message that the UK is open to the most talented minds in the world, and stand ready to support them to turn their ideas into reality.”

Beginning on February 20, the Global Talent visa will be managed by the UK Research and Innovation Agency rather than immigration officials at the Home Office. The goal is to “provide an ...

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Meet the Author

Amy Schleunes
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A former intern at The Scientist, Amy studied neurobiology at Cornell University and later earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa. She is a Los Angeles–based writer, editor, and communications strategist who collaborates on nonfiction books for Harper Collins and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and also teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University CTY. Her favorite projects involve sharing the insights of science and medicine.
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