Keeping the UK at the heart of global science & engineering
28 Mar 2016 by Evoluted New Media
Ahead of the election, it was clear that immigration would be a hot topic this Parliament, and one that certainly impacts on UK science and engineering.
Ahead of the election, it was clear that immigration would be a hot topic this Parliament, and one that certainly impacts on UK science and engineering.
Therefore, following the election CaSE set about exploring the issues surrounding immigration in the context of science and engineering, from skills shortages to the attitudes of the public. We also examined how the Government’s immigration policies are affecting this sector, making recommendations for how they may be refined to support the Government’s aim of rebalancing the economy with a greater emphasis on science and innovation. The result is our latest report, Immigration: Keeping the UK at the heart of global science and engineering, which was launched at the end of January in the House of Lords.
The Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) review of tier 2 was also published at the end of January and makes a number of recommendations to Government that could negatively impact on the sector, both making employing international talent much more expensive, and sending the message that international talent is not welcome.
The MAC were tasked by Government in 2015 to advise on “significantly reducing the level of economic migration from outside the EU”. They were to take into account the impact on the economy – including productivity and competitiveness – in line with the Conservative Manifesto recommitment to reduce net migration and maintain the annual 20,700 cap on skilled migration (Tier 2 General).
Yet, despite wider public concern about immigration, polls show there is public support for increasing immigration of scientists and researchers and for skilled workers more broadly. A more nuanced political narrative around immigration needs to become the norm. Whatever your view on immigration as a whole, enacting policies to reduce the number of scientists and engineers who can enter and choose to stay in the UK is not in the interests of the UK.
Political leadership is needed to ensure the UK’s message to the world, as well as the government’s immigration policies, support migration of scientists and engineers for all our benefit. And we hope that the recommendations we’ve set out in our report, if enacted, would be a step in the right direction. Over the coming months, CaSE will be working with others in the sector, and those within government with responsibility for immigration policy, to take these recommendations forward.
Author: Naomi Weir, Assistant Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering
