UK eyes scrapping visa fees for top global talent

Proposal gathers steam after Trump’s $100,000 fee for H-1B applicants

- BY LEKSHMY PAVITHRAN Assistant Online Editor

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is exploring proposals to abolish certain visa fees for elite global talent, aiming to attract the world’s best scientists, academics, and digital experts, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Starmer’s “global talent task force” is developing ideas to lure high-skilled professionals to the UK to stimulate economic growth. The initiative comes as the US has sharply increased the H-1B visa fee to $100,000, making global mobility more expensive, the report said.