Talented students and professionals in London say increasing restrictions on staying in the UK could outweigh the benefits, as the UK government and opposition parties make cutting immigration a central policy.
The ruling Labour party has said it will reform the pathways for people seeking permanent settlement status and impose stricter quotas.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the new plan on Thursday, with the effect being felt not only by those seeking a new life but also hundreds of thousands who are already applying to make Britain their permanent home.
It is feared new government immigration plans will severely reduce the talent pool arriving in the country from overseas. EPA
It is feared this tightening of the system and the escalating costs surrounding it could deter overseas talent from coming to the UK to work and study.
Adham Al Oka is a Syrian HR business partner and global reward manager at an oil and gas company in London. He was recruited to the capital with an intra-company transfer visa in 2020 and switched to a skilled workers visa in 2021.
His wife is also Syrian and a sales manager at a FinTech company. His hopes of applying for permanent settled status have now been turned upside-down by the new policy.
Visa fees and surcharges have more than doubled since his arrival – in recent years he has had to pay a National
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