Theresa May vows to throw open Brexit Britain’s borders to hi-tech entrepreneurs with a ‘Start-Up Visa’ from Spring 2019
THERESA MAY vows to throw open Brexit Britain’s borders to hi-tech entrepreneurs - to put the country at the front of the digital revolution.
The PM will unveil plans to launch a new ‘Start-Up Visa’ from Spring 2019 - to make Britain the “best place in the world to run a tech company”.
Under the plans, tech savvy migrants will be able to use a visa route currently reserved for 2,000 overseas graduates a year.
It’s the first sign of the Government’s post-Brexit immigration planning.
The Government will also unveil a £2.5billion ‘Patient Capital’ fund to support start-ups. Separately, several tech firms will announce investment plans that should create 1,600 new jobs.
Theresa May said: “The measures we are announcing today will allow innovative British start-ups to invest in their future – and in the UIK – by hiring more skilled people, expanding their business and exporting their expertise across the world.”
The graduate visa route is a ‘Tier 1’ visa and doesn’t count against the ‘Tier 2’ skilled workers cap under which the NHS brings in doctors and other skilled migrants.
The Home Office would only say further details on the Start-Up visa would be announced “in due course”.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has risked the wrath of Theresa May since taking over at the Home Office by promising a more “compassionate” immigration system.
He was also said to have ripped up plans to offer European migrants preferential access to the UK after its formal exit from the EU next March.
Tech companies in London last year warned that talks with potential hires were falling through because of the decision to leave the EU.
Web giants such as Facebook, Google, Amazon and Snapchat have all announced plans to expand in London since the Referendum.
But they have warned Government they need to be able to recruit the best people.
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