Back in 2019, we revealed that half of the 100 fastest growing companies in the UK had a foreign-born founder .
This number helped change the way people thought about immigration. There was no denying that immigrants were key drivers of UK innovation. Rishi Sunak quoted the data time and time again, but he’ll have to update his figures. Using data from Beauhurst,While some will point to Brexit, we’ve also had a pandemic. Also, two data points don’t make a trend .... [+]That’s why we have 10 bold policies to help ensure that the UK is open to the very best talent in the world. I’ll touch on a few here.
First, we should build on the UK’s incredible High Potential Individual visa by expanding the list of universities and higher education institutions it includes. The great thing about this visa is that it doesn’t tie immigrants to a particular employer. As we’ve, it just needs expanding to include graduates from many of the world’s top performing universities.
The report also calls for the expansion of the Youth Mobility Scheme so it includes more countries with deep historical, cultural and economic ties with the UK in the Youth Mobility Scheme. We also think time spent on it should count towards an individual’s Indefinite Leave to Remain, if they stay in the UK.