The Royal Society responds to the publication of the Immigration White Paper

The Government has today published its Immigration White Paper. In response, Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said:

“We welcome the Home Secretary’s recognition of the importance of skilled immigration to the UK. It is vital that we have an immigration system that keeps highly skilled researchers working in the UK and ensures that talented people from around the world still choose to come here and work alongside our home-grown scientists.

“We also welcome the opportunity to respond to the detail in the White Paper, including the proposed £30K minimum salary threshold and changes to the visa system. The UK’s future immigration arrangements need to effectively address the broad range of skills needed by UK research and innovation.

“However, we must recognise that ongoing uncertainty over Brexit will be a key factor for international scientists who are choosing where to live and work right now. A no deal Brexit is a bad deal for science.”