New immigration laws could undermine cancer research in the UK

According to a recent analysis of the new immigration laws, led by the Royal Society, UK visas are now significantly more expensive than visas to other top research nations, like the USA, Germany, or Japan. According to Knight, the Wellcome Sanger Institute incurred between £300 000 and £310 000 visa-related expenses in 2022—a figure that increased to £346 814 in 2023. According to Rathbone, attracting international researchers is essential to support the research and development sector in the UK. [...]it is critical that the immigration and visa system, and associated costs, do not act as a barrier to attracting the most talented researchers to the UK”, he added.