Britain at risk of being left behind over AI visa conflict

We are due shortly to receive the government’s immigration white paper. It was earmarked for publication early in the new year, then it was pushed back until after Easter. Now we’re told it will land after the local elections. Well, they are this week, so the deadline is getting closer. That is, if the cabinet can settle their reported differences over what it should contain.

- CHRIS BLACKHURST

Preparing a formal document detailing policy towards one of the hottest of political issues was always bound to be difficult. The prime minister has pledged to tighten the rules after official figures showed net migration reached nearly one million in 2023. The total – the difference between those leaving and those arriving – fell to 728,000 in June 2024, but it’s a key Labour promise to cut the number further by the next general election.

Downing Street is said to be wary of adding to the burden on businesses as they grapple with the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs shock, on top of their current problems. There is thought to be a power battle raging between the Home Office and education, Yvette Cooper versus Bridget Phillipson, over restrictions on overseas students. Cooper wishes them toughened; Phillipson wants them relaxed.

There is, though, another area that is causing concern, one that directly affects the UK economy and its ability to compete globally in the future. This surrounds the granting of AI visas to those with the skills to develop and advance the new technology. I am told some forward thinkers in government see this fast track of talent as a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the government’s ability to apply logic to its growth strategy is not always evident, as seen by essentially ejecting non-doms, major UK wealth creators, who are being wooed by other nations.