Government urged to simplify visa rules for AI specialists, establish zones for datacentres

Specialist AI visas need to be introduced to attract top talent, government report will argue

The government should make it easier for AI specialists to come to the UK by reducing the cost and complexity of visa requirements. In addition, the government should establish special zones for datacentres to make them easier and quicker to build and run.

That’s according to a new report due to be published in November by venture capitalist Matt Clifford. The report was commissioned by science and technology secretary Peter Kyle in July shortly after the election of the new government. The report is intended to provide a “plan of action” for driving the adoption of AI and technology across the UK.

Details of Clifford’s AI Opportunities Action Plan have been leaked to the Financial Times.

At the moment, the main route for people with AI skills to enter the UK is the global talent visa, which was introduced in 2020. Around 12,000 people used this route to come to the UK for work between 2020 and 2023, out of just over 17,000 applications.

Applicants require an official endorsement from a recognised UK tech organisation, costing more than £500; the application costs £200; and annual healthcare surcharges of £625 for the applicant plus £700 for each dependent are also required. An application cannot be made until the official endorsement is received.

Clifford held a number of face-to-face meetings with executives, entrepreneurs and investors over summer to harvest their ideas. They raised concerns over the bureaucracy and cost of the visa process, which comes on top of the high cost of recruiting staff from overseas, as well as the cost and complexity of opening datacentre facilities in the UK.

They also called for special zones for datacentres across the UK, not just making them easier to build, but also readied with the required associated infrastructure, such as energy supplies. The ability to build datacentres across the UK is stymied by a lack of available power, and the length of time that developers need to wait for power companies to build the necessary connections.

These pauses can run into many years and are set to get worse with the closure of two ageing nuclear power stations by 2027, and the government’s deadline to discontinue gas-fired power generation – which sometimes accounts for more than half the UK’s power generation – by 2030.

On top of that, executives have also complained about the cost of power in the UK, which is already among the highest in the world for commercial users, and is expected to be driven up even higher as conventional nuclear and gas power stations are closed.

Indicating the importance that the new government attaches to the technology sector, datacentres were designated “critical national infrastructure” in a widely anticipated move in September. This will provide additional government support in the event of cyberattacks, natural disasters and power outages.

However, writing on Twitter, Legatum Institute senior researcher Guy Dampier suggested that changes to the visa rules would still need to come with strong, enforceable conditions. “It’s far too easy to re-label basic IT skills as AI. Ideally, we’d auction such visas with a minimum price, ensuring that companies are competing for top talent with minimal bureaucracy.”

But, he added, reform in the areas of energy and planning are sorely needed.