EU science collaboration requires an immigration system to match

CaSE has called on the Government to formulate an immigration system based on the considerable available evidence of the UK’s needs for excellence, skills, education and collaboration. Responding to the Home Office document reported in today’s Guardian, CaSE Executive Director, Dr Sarah Main, said:

“On a day when the Government has set out how important EU collaboration is to our future science and innovation success, it must realise that collaboration requires an immigration system to match. This requires us to fight to attract talented scientists and engineers from the global pool, not to reluctantly allow them in.”

“Immigration is one of the top concerns of scientific businesses and universities for whom it is vital to be able to recruit talented people to work and study in the UK. Their concern applies to the full spectrum of talent, from specialist technicians and researchers at the start of their career, to professors and CEOs at the top of the pile. The criteria of salary and skills that are considered in the leaked document could lead to swathes of scientists and engineers being cut off from entering the UK. The Government must create a migration system that supports its ambitions for Britain’s future, which the Prime Minister has said requires global science and innovation leadership.”

“CaSE calls on the Government to formulate an immigration system based on the considerable available evidence of the UK’s needs for excellence, skills, education and collaboration.”

You can read CaSE’s response to the Government’s Brexit position paper on science and innovation, also published today.

Dr Main appeared on BBC Breakfast, BBC News at One and BBC Newsnight to discuss the continued success of the UK’s scientific collaborations with the EU and the need for an immigration system which supports this.

Notes

You can read CaSE’s digest of immigration facts and figures including public opinion, facts on the R&D workforce, and the value of migration to the UK, as well as CaSE’s 2016 report on the role of immigration in UK science and engineering.