Britain could benefit from Trump’s visa price bungle

Trump had triggered panic by unexpectedly putting a $100,000 price tag on the widely used H-1B visa, as holders of H-1B visas who happened to be abroad rushed back to America to avoid being asked to hand over the cash at the airport. The White House has since calmed things down by saying the fee wouldn’t apply to existing H-1Bs or renewals and that it could anyway be waived at the government’s discretion. But companies that rely on H-1B visas, including tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft, remain worried and foreign workers could be forgiven for asking if they would be better off relocating somewhere more welcoming.

Reeves says the government will double the number of high-skilled visas to around 18,000 a year. That would be a good start, though the number could be much higher and the increase should be part of a comprehensive welcome package including fast-track approvals, simple and reasonable tax processes and more.

There is likely to be fierce global competition for the sort of talent that built Silicon Valley, with countries such as Canada and France making clear their intention to open their arms. If Britain wants to win, it will need to be bold and generous. Talk and a toe in the water won’t be enough to make the most of this unexpected opportunity to upgrade our human capital.

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