Prof Sir Paul Nurse, one of Britain’s most respected scientists, has warned that the UK is “shooting itself in the foot” with its current visa system for science researchers, arguing that high costs are deterring talent from coming to the country.
Speaking to BBC News, Sir Paul, who recently became President of the Royal Society, said expensive visa fees and strict immigration requirements are discouraging early-career researchers, who are increasingly choosing to work in countries such as China and Singapore.
“Having expensive visa costs is shooting yourself in the foot. It absolutely doesn’t help in attracting these sorts of people,” he said, describing the UK’s scientific base as “fragile.” He added that the combination of high visa costs, funding pressures, and restrictive immigration rules sends a negative signal to potential recruits.
Currently, scientists applying for visas must pay an annual Immigration Health Surcharge to help fund the NHS, as well as show proof of significant savings to demonstrate they can support themselves without public assistance. While supporters of the system argue that fees help fund public services and reflect wider concerns about immigration, Sir Paul contends that the policy risks the country’s future scientific and economic competitiveness.
“Why do we put hurdles in the way of the people that are actually going to drive our economy? It makes zero sense,” he said.
The warning comes amid growing competition among nations to attract top scientific talent. Countries including Singapore and China are actively courting international researchers with incentives and streamlined visa systems. Sir Paul urged UK ministers to reconsider policies that may hinder the inflow of scientific talent, stressing the importance of making the country an attractive destination for researchers.
Even some policy experts acknowledge the challenge. Karl Williams, a policy specialist at the Centre for Policy Studies, said the UK must maintain overall migration limits following a surge between 2021 and 2024. “The wave of immigration we had… is probably the single most significant demographic event in modern British history,” he said. Williams added that while easing visa rules for scientists could help, the government lacks a system to balance migration numbers across sectors.
Home Office data shows that in the last quarter, only 323 people received visas for jobs in natural and social sciences. Williams noted that even doubling that number would have little impact on overall migration totals, highlighting the need for more targeted solutions rather than broad restrictions.
Sir Paul Nurse’s comments underline growing concern that visa policies may inadvertently push top scientific talent to competing nations, threatening the UK’s long-term innovation and research capacity.
