UK PM Rishi Sunak shows support for skilled expats amid migration pressure, ‘It's best place to come and do business’

28 Nov 2023, 07:09 by Sanchari Ghosh · Mint Business News - Official Channel · Join

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently showed strong support towards skilled migrant workers stating that ‘half of the UK's innovative companies have an immigrant founder’ and ‘it is the best country in the world to invest and do business ’

Amid growing calls to reduce immigration, he lauded the UK's "most competitive visa regime," positioning it as the world's best for investment and business.

While speaking at Global Investment Summit, the UK PM said, “We don’t have a monopoly on talent in this country, and we recognise that nearly half of our most innovative companies have an immigrant founder."

He further praised the country’s ‘most competitive visa regime’ and said “So, if you’re an innovator, an entrepreneur, a researcher, you should know that the most competitive visa regime for highly skilled international talent is right here in the United Kingdom."

His intervention comes against the backdrop of discontent within his own Conservative Party ranks after last week’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) data revealed record-high annual migration to the country and former home secretary Suella Braverman’s allies laid the blame squarely at Downing Street’s door.

UK is the best place to invest and do business: PM Rishi Sunak

Sunak also spoke about the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa, which gives young graduates (from top 50 universities in the world) the opportunity to come to the UK with family for two years to just “explore, work, study, invent".

"Nothing like that exists anywhere else in the world. And that tells you everything about our pro-innovation, pro-growth, pro-business philosophy. So that’s the opportunity here in the UK. That’s why you should believe me when I say this is the best country in the world to invest and do business," he added.

The underlying message to the warring factions of his party will not be lost on the day ‘The Daily Telegraph’ reported at length on a four-point migration plan agreed between Sunak and Braverman when he took charge at 10 Downing Street last October.

The Daily Telegraph reported on a migration plan agreed upon by Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman. The pact, revealed in the newspaper, includes Braverman's proposal to close the Graduate Visa route, affecting Indian nationals who make up 43% of students granted leave to remain for post-study work experience, according to recent ONS figures.

(With inputs from PTI)

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