Successful applicants will then be able to switch to long-term employment visas, the government said.
Successful applicants will then be able to switch to long-term employment visas, the government said.
Britain will offer work visas to graduates from the world’s best universities in an expansion of its post-Brexit immigration system, which is designed to attract the “best and brightest” workers.
Since leaving the EU, the UK has abolished the priority given to EU citizens and introduced a points-based immigration system that ranks applicants based on their qualifications and language skills to the type of job offered to them. Ranks everything.
But the country has faced a tight labor market for several years – compounded by Brexit and COVID-19 – and companies in the manufacturing, logistics and food sectors have urged the government to loosen rules for entry-level jobs.
Under the plan announced on Monday, graduates with bachelor’s or master’s degrees from top 50 universities abroad can apply for two-year work visas and will be allowed to bring family members with them. Those seeking a doctorate can apply for a three-year visa.
Successful applicants will then be able to switch to long-term employment visas, the government said.
Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said it would enable the UK to develop into an international hub for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
“We want the businesses of tomorrow to be built here today – which is why I call on students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to build a career here,” Sunak said.
Under the new scheme, applicants should have been awarded a degree not earlier than five years from the date of application.
Eligible universities must be in the top 50 rankings of at least two of the following: the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings.
The most recent list of eligible universities from 2021, published online by the UK government, includes more than two dozen US universities as well as institutions in Canada, Japan, Germany, China, Singapore, France and Sweden.
The government said candidates must pass a security and criminal check, and be able to speak, read, hear and write English at an intermediate level.