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Cancer Research UK urges government to reduce fees, as bill across four institutes “nears £700,000”
Cancer Research UK is calling on the new UK government to reduce visa fees for scientists, saying the cost for its researchers is estimated to have risen 44 per cent in the last financial year.
The charity said the four institutes it funds expect to spend a total of £687,674 in 2023-24 on work and study visa costs, up 44 per cent from 2022-23.
In October last year, the Conservative government increased work visa fees by 15 per cent, family visas by 20 per cent and student visas by 25 per cent.
Ian Walker, executive director of policy, information and communications at Cancer Research UK, said: “Scientists are having to fork out thousands of pounds upfront to have their visa applications considered, while the research institutes that want them here are having to move vital funds away from labs to support scientists to meet these increased costs.”
‘Reverse the fee increase’
Walker urged the Home Office to reverse the fee increases and start a full-scale review of the impact of the immigration system for recruiting international researchers. “This review should look at the visa systems of all countries and examine further options to cut visa fees to attract more researchers to come here,” he suggested.
The world’s most-talented scientists are being deterred from coming to the UK because of “inflation-busting increases”, he suggested.
Walker said: “We need to compete for the world’s best scientists to deliver more world-class research, which will boost the economy, reduce pressure on the NHS and deliver better treatment for patients.”
Lab budgets have recently been impacted by high inflation, the cancer charity pointed out, adding that the fee increases were “taking away vital funds from frontline research”.
Visa spend increases
The estimated increases in visa spend across the institutes were:
• £501,000 in 2023-24 compared with £350,000 in 2022-23 at the Francis Crick Institute, the largest institute the charity works with—a 43 per cent increase
• £39,675 compared with £27,150 at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute—a 46 per cent increase
• £65,793 compared with £43,687 at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute—a 51 per cent increase
• £81,206 compared with £56,407 at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute—a 44 per cent increase
One of the international scientists who came to the UK to work at the Manchester Institute said: “Applying for a visa to come to the UK [is] complicated, confusing and costly. If we carry on like this, the UK is at real risk of losing out on highly talented scientists to other countries with more accommodating immigration policies.”
Cancer Research UK highlighted that analysis commissioned by the Royal Society concluded UK visa costs are up to 17 times higher than the average for other leading research nations.
Last year it commissioned Opinium to survey 3,027 UK adults and found that 73 per cent of respondents would support the government making it easier for medical researchers and scientists to work in the UK. The online survey was carried out between May and June last year.
The Home Office has been contacted for comment.