UK visa scheme for prize-winning scientists receives no applications

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2298455-uk-visa-scheme-for-prize-winning-scientists-receives-no-applications/

by edward • 5 years ago

31 10 5 years ago

Is that because no winners of those prizes want to move to the UK, or because all of those people are eligible for another type of visa which might be easier to apply for?

LatteLazy• 5 years ago

Mostly the former. The UK is going through a xenophobic phase and an anti-science phase. So no foreign scientist who's done their research will be moving here. We've also cut a whole bunch of science funding. This is also supposed to be the easiest visa to apply for (one application, no need for sponsorship, clear criteria for eligibility).

Covid and the fact anyone here can stay easily likely hasn't helped. But we're certainly not attracting anyone new.

mixtur2021• 5 years ago

How exactly is the UK going through an anti-science phase? Case in point: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-launch-new-research...

Or more recently: https://ukcop26.org/

No doubt some of the previous funding schemes from the EU don't exist anymore. That is however different that some sort of explicit agenda to undermine science. To be honest, this reads like you are pushing a nihilistic agenda.

mercy_dude• 5 years ago

I have traveled in UK extensively this summer since my wife and her family are from there and my experience (as a turban wearing brown dude) has been quite the opposite.

There is way less toxicity in terms of culture war (as long as you don’t live your days reading The Sun or Guardian) and the people generally are very polite and respectful of your background. I think UK Govt has done a far better job in vaccination and earning public trust than US public health officials. The debates around lockdown are also quite nuanced and can be had without my way or high way attitude you see in many US states.

I visited Oxbridge and I don’t think there is any shortage of diverse talent pool there ,compared to say 10 yrs ago it is certainly more diverse now.

UK wasn’t seeing some of the crazy supply chain issues we were seeing, for example in US we couldn’t even rent a car, whereas in UK that wasn’t such an issue.

All of these are anecdotes of course.

That said I think UK has been experiencing much of the same problems structurally- loss of jobs in midland, high housing prices, increasing cost of healthcare funded by taxpayers with NHS which has pretty poor services at this point due to being way beyond capacity.

ryanlol2• 5 years ago

Mostly the former

Are you at all familiar with UK visa processes, or are you just guessing?

Firstly, this isn’t a particularly good visa scheme. Secondly, there’s an extremely limited set of people who could apply for this.

bellyfullofbac• 5 years ago

Most likely because with Brexit the UK removed itself from science cooperation with the EU (not sure if they've arranged an alternative), so a scientist currently working in a UK institution probably aren't getting invited to work on projects with EU scientific institutions.

In the EU, the institutions getting EU funding are probably free to engage EU suppliers (for products as well as for know-how, i.e. to talk to/work with professors in EU universities), but if they want to engage a non-EU partner, that's a different story...

If you're a prize-winning scientist, any country will probably love to have you, and you'd choose a location where it's easiest to cooperate with others...

ryanlol2• 5 years ago

Mostly the latter, this particular visa scheme just sucks.

If you’re rich enough to move to the UK without having a job lined up, you’ll just go for the investor visa. If you have a job lined up, you’ll just get the work visa.

ireadfaces• 5 years ago

A moment of silence

AngusH• 5 years ago

I'm not sure it can be properly judged as a success or failure until the situation returns to normal. (Covid19, etc)

This is only dates to May 2021 after all.

I don't think I would move countries right now unless absolutely necessary.

Especially since most of the qualifying people will presumably already have acceptable jobs, so moving is merely for advantage over their existing situation, rather than a matter of survival.

UK visa scheme for prize-winning scientists receives no applications

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