I'm a skilled immigrant who's paid my £37K in taxes. Labour's new visa plans could send me packing
Tariq*, a 35-year-old software engineer from southern Asia, has invested £22,000 of his money on visas and NHS charges so he could build a life in London.
He arrived in 2020 as a masters' degree student, attracted by the UK's post-Brexit message to the world that it needs skilled migrants and welcome talent. 'I believed that promise,' he says.
After completing his postgraduate degree, in 2022 Tariq found a job as a senior software engineer in the world-leading tech sector that prime minister Keir Starmer is pegging plans for economic growth upon. He moved on to a five-year skilled work visa - a route to obtaining indefinite leave to remain - and his wife and young daughter joined him.
Now, the family's future is in disarray - and he's not alone.
Tariq fears he could be forced to leave the country by the government's sudden overhaul in immigration policy, which has left those already here on skilled work visas fearing they will have to wait a full decade to secure the right to remain permanently. The working visa gives employees just 60 days to find a new job if they are made redundant - an impossible demand for young families.
'My nine-year-old daughter, who started school here and came at the age of four, speaks only English and has no cultural or linguistic connection to our home country. If we are forced to leave because of a change that did not exist when we applied, the trauma for her and for children like her would be unimaginable,' he says.
'My family and I have invested our savings, trust, and lives into building a future here. I came in good faith, under clearly written government rules that stated we would be eligible to apply for ILR after five continuous years. We feel stranded, in limbo. What many people don't realise is that we can't rewind our lives, we can't go back in time and undo the decisions we made when we first entered the system.'
Also feeling trapped is tech product manager Giang*, a high-skilled and highly-paid employee who is almost at the end of his five-year wait to obtain residency after moving from a previous tech position in Singapore. He has paid more than £37,000 in income tax in the last year alone, and together with his wife has invested more than £30,000 in the UK stock market. 'We bought an apartment just recently, we are expecting a baby and we are preparing to launch our own business in the UK,' he says.
The family is 'living in limbo' waiting to discover their fate since the immigration white paper dropped. 'I want to make plans for my family but there is no information for me,' Giang says. 'I've paid a lot of tax and really feel unwelcome and feel prevented from integrating into the community because if I lose my job I have to pack up and leave the country within 60 days.'
If he had known that extending the qualification period was a possibility, Giang says he would have opted to pursue his career in the US or another European country. He is now considering moving his family back to his home nation.
'I'd take a 20-30% pay cut, but my net income and purchasing power would be much better. I want to stay in the UK for the job market and tech industry opportunities. It's a big sunk cost for us, but it would be a bigger risk continuing to invest for five more years knowing I might lose the job,' he says. 'If they can move the goalposts now, I'm really concerned that in the next couple of years they could move again so that settlement is always a dangling carrot for us and we never get it.'
Both men agreed to speak to Yahoo if we protected their identity, due to fears that their jobs or families could be at risk if they were seen to be speaking out. Yahoo has seen documents that verify their identities and UK tax commitments.
Experts warn that the new immigration policy is destroying the global reputation of the UK's tech sector as a place where high-skilled talent is welcomed and can thrive - putting plans for rapid economic growth at risk.
There are 54,000 skilled migrants working in UK tech, and the number is rising each year. When the white paper on immigration was first published in May, including plans to move to a 10-year settlement period for new arrivals, the industry's leaders warned it could cause problems.
Antony Walker, deputy CEO of TechUK, said: 'As the demand for skilled workers in fields such as AI, cybersecurity, and quantum continues to grow, it is crucial that the UK grants and maintains immigration pathways that enable tech companies to access the talent they need. A well-designed and fairly priced visa system is essential to maintaining the UK's global competitiveness.'
Dr Robyn Klingler-Vidra, reader in political economy and entrepreneurship at King's College London and an expert in start-ups, told Yahoo that UK tech was already suffering under existing 'innovator' visa rules, which grant migrant entrepreneurs just three years to establish a business - too short, according to experts. Now the industry is in danger of losing its highly skilled workforce too.
'The overall sentiment or narrative that's been projected outside of the UK is one of, do I want to go to the UK in the first place? It's logically inconsistent to say we want the UK to be a world leader in these areas but then when people with families, with lives, try to bring their skillset to the UK, they're then met with a reality that doesn't fulfil that ambition," she says.
Sir Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology at Manchester Business School, says talented migrants should not worry; the UK will create exceptions to the rules to protect their investment in British industry. But that alone will not change a dangerous perception of Britain that is now being spread outside the UK.
'It's not about rationality, it's about emotion. The vast majority have nothing to worry about even if they lose a job, but that's not the reality experienced by these people who are emotionally worried that, if they lose their job, their visa will expire. The government should be thinking about this and they should be aware that it's a problem,' Professor Cooper says.
'I'm more worried about what message the UK is sending out, about what people who are currently in the UK in the high-tech industries are saying to people back in the countries they came from.'
Tanmay Datta, a 30-year-old software engineer originally from India who now works in British fintech, says he is now dealing with stress and anxiety as a result of the uncertainty. He was due to achieve residency in 2026, and is paying around £35,000 a year in income tax - higher than the salary thresholds for some migrant visas to the UK. His partner, who his visa states as his dependent in the UK, is also a higher-rate taxpayer. 'We have had to put all our major life plans on hold. We feel unable to make significant decisions, such as starting a family or moving house,' he says.
In the last week, the government has confirmed that some workers will be able to qualify for settlement earlier than 10 years, but has not clarified how its proposed 'earned status' will operate. There is currently no fixed timescale for implementation of the proposals set out in the immigration white paper.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
32 minutes ago
- Fox News
Dodgers pledge $1 million to families impacted by immigration arrests, day after claim of denying ICE agents
The Los Angeles Dodgers have pledged $1 million to aid families impacted by the immigration arrests, a move that comes one day after the organization claimed it had denied U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents entry to the grounds of the ballpark. The team released a statement Friday announcing the commitment, adding that the money will go "toward direct financial assistance for families of immigrants impacted by recent events in the region." "What's happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected," Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement. "We believe that by committing resources and taking action, we will continue to support and uplift the communities of Greater Los Angeles." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass thanked the MLB team for its support following the arrests, which she said "have sent shockwaves of fear rippling through every neighborhood." "My message to all Angelenos is clear: We will stick together during this time and we will not turn our backs on one another — that's what makes this the greatest city in the world," Bass' statement continued. The pledge followed a disputed claim from the Dodgers' on Thursday, when the team claimed to have turned down ICE agents' request to enter Dodger Stadium's parking lot before a game. ICE quickly denied the claim in a post on social media, saying "False. We were never there." Law enforcement was spotted outside of Dodger Stadium earlier Thursday that was initially believed to be ICE, which prompted protesters at the site. But in a statement of their own after ICE's denial, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that "CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly," and it "had nothing to do with the Dodgers." The vehicles on stadium grounds were "unrelated to any operation or enforcement," a CBP spokesperson said in a statement. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
VivoPower Closes First Phase of US$121 Million Private Placement
LONDON, June 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VivoPower International PLC (NASDAQ: VVPR) ('VivoPower' or the 'Company') today announced that it has closed the first phase of the previously announced US$121 million investment round led by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Talal Al Saud, and including a consortium of non-U.S. investors pursuant to Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933. This first phase is equivalent to gross proceeds of US$60.5 million. The closing was completed within existing authorized share capital parameters. The remaining 50% is expected to close shortly subject to shareholder approval to increase authorized share capital. Proceeds will support VivoPower's Ripple and XRP-focused treasury and decentralized finance solutions strategy and broader transformation initiatives. The private offering was made only to persons other than 'U.S. persons' in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'Securities Act'). Any securities described in this press release have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) except in transactions registered under the Securities Act or exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. Any share issuance under Regulation S cannot be sold for at least 40 days post registration and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby are conditioned upon the sale and purchase agreements (Subscription Agreements) not having been validly terminated in accordance with their terms, which include but are not limited to material adverse change for the Company including in relation to its securities, delisting or suspension of the Company's shares and non-performance of obligations by either the Company or the investors. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. About VivoPower VivoPower International PLC (NASDAQ: VVPR) is undergoing a strategic transformation into the world's first XRP-focused digital asset enterprise. The Company's new direction centers on the acquisition, management, and long-term holding of XRP digital assets as part of a diversified digital treasury strategy. Through this shift, VivoPower aims to contribute to the growth and utility of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) by supporting decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure and real-world blockchain applications. Originally founded in 2014 and listed on Nasdaq since 2016, VivoPower operates with a global footprint spanning the United Kingdom, Australia, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. An award-winning global sustainable energy solutions B Corporation, VivoPower has two business units, Tembo and Caret Digital. Tembo is focused on electric solutions for off-road and on-road customized and ruggedized fleet applications as well as ancillary financing, charging, battery and microgrids solutions. Caret Digital is a power-to-x business focused on the highest and best use cases for renewable power, including digital asset mining. Forward-Looking Statements This communication includes certain statements that may constitute 'forward-looking statements' for purposes of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions. The words 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'continue,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'intends,' 'may,' 'might,' 'plan,' 'possible,' 'potential,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'should,' 'would' and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include, for example, statements about the achievement of performance hurdles, or the benefits of the events or transactions described in this communication and the expected returns therefrom. These statements are based on VivoPower's management's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to risk, uncertainty, and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of VivoPower's business. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include changes in business conditions, fluctuations in customer demand, changes in accounting interpretations, management of rapid growth, intensity of competition from other providers of products and services, changes in general economic conditions, geopolitical events and regulatory changes, and other factors set forth in VivoPower's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. VivoPower is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise. Contact Shareholder Enquiries media@
Forbes
38 minutes ago
- Forbes
Silicon Valley's Leadership Lessons
Leadership lessons from Silicon Valley for future readiness Mature organizations lose their vitality. Complex organizations lose their responsiveness. Successful incumbent market leaders, because they are typically both mature and complex, lose their charm, and become endangered. Not surprisingly, there has long been a search for ways to restore vigor and zest to such organizations. Inevitably, when such discussions arise, the success of Silicon Valley is cited as an alternative example of both energy and imagination; of being able to move fast and change things in a big way. The recent DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative is one such effort. The advertised idea was to learn from the 'new economy,' and apply those lessons learned to large, bureaucratic, government agencies. That this does not appear to have happened is probably due more to chaotic execution and the mischief of ideologues than to a failure in the promise of Silicon Valley as an organizing inspiration for the rest of us. Not entirely coincidentally, the UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) is another example. Inspired, in part, by the American Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA), which, established in 1958 in response to the Soviet Union's Sputnik, has continually played an influential role in Silicon Valley successes, ARIA's American born Ilan Gur sees his organization as a means of supporting UK innovation, which he refers to as a 'tightly wound spring that's ready to release'. What is it, then, about Silicon Valley that leads it to be seen as a source of managerial lessons for organizational success, and what might those lessons be? To answer these questions, I took the opportunity to interview an old friend and IMD colleague, Jim Pulcrano, engineer, entrepreneur, academic, and who for over 25 years has been an observer of Silicon Valley's inner workings, leading more than 80 executive explorations of the Valley in search of such lessons. What follows is a sense of what leadership lessons Silicon Valley might offer those of us who work in mature, old-economy, industries, and especially those of us associated with successful, incumbent, market-leaders, in such industries: Thinking Differently Jim Pulcrano: I think that the Silicon Valley lessons all begin with one word: '"urgency." Mature firms often become comfortable—they've grown strong, built moats, have big balance sheets. But that comfort is a trap. Silicon Valley thrives on discomfort. Everyone there is asking, 'What's next?' and 'How fast can I disrupt myself before someone else does?' Bill Fischer: And how does that urgency manifest itself? Pulcrano: Through relentless questioning. The best innovators don't start with answers—they start with better questions. What if we made a 10X improvement, not 10%? What if we killed our core product before someone else did? What if our future doesn't look like our past? Fischer: This is a dramatically different way of thinking than we typically see in more traditional organizations. Pulcrano: Revitalization requires daring and courage. Mature companies often cling to what worked in the past; the leaders usually built their legacies on products and systems that have outlived their utility and should be disrupted. In contrast, Silicon Valley is all about 'dream big or stay home.' It teaches us that innovation isn't about fine-tuning yesterday's model—it's about asking bold, even uncomfortable, questions. That culture of relentless curiosity that we hear about so often; it's gold. Fischer: So, it's about more than simply having a flashy R&D team? Pulcrano: Exactly. You need a network that nourishes innovation—not just exploits it. One important lesson is that in the Valley geographic proximity makes a difference. Everything is tightly packed together: venture capital, prototyping labs, universities, and legal experts. Ideas bounce around fast. That 'proximity stew' keeps innovation alive. For incumbents, the question becomes: how do we recreate that bubbling ecosystem internally? In a mature company, you've got to mimic that intensity. Create idea collisions. Flatten silos. Interest engineers in talking to marketers, finance to R&D. In Silicon Valley, the network is the superpower. People move freely—from startup to corporate, from VC to academia, then back. The real learning happens in the spaces between. Incumbents need to stop thinking in organizational charts and start thinking in ecosystems. Who do your innovators know outside your organization? What cross-pollination is happening? Who is the go-to person on X? Are you one of them? Leadership lessons Fischer: how different is the practice of leadership in such organizations? Pulcrano: First, leaders must normalize failure. In the Valley, failing fast and moving on is a badge of honor. Max Levchin, Elon Musk's Paypal cofounder, struggled with his first four startups struggled (and mostly failed). The fifth was PayPal. Most legacy firms? They'd have fired him after the second flop. Fischer: Failure becomes data? Pulcrano: Exactly. In the Valley, failure isn't the opposite of success—it's part of the process. That's a cultural shift. Leaders must model that by sharing their own missteps. Celebrate intelligent risk-taking, not just polished outcomes. Nobody wants to fail, it's f**king awful, but if you're trying to do something new, whether it be the technology, the business model or some combination, failure is likely, so learn from it. Second, diverse thinking isn't a bonus—it's a baseline. The best decisions in VC firms often come after heated debates. The VC firm Greylock Partners has even studied this—their biggest wins were investments that triggered the fiercest internal arguments. So if your executive team always agrees, you're in trouble. Fischer: That's quite a departure from many boardrooms; it reminds me of the adage: 'polite teams get polite results.' Pulcrano: It is. And that leads to another principle: permissionless innovation. In the Valley, junior people prototype without asking for five layers of approval. Those prototypes could be products or sales models. Leaders should ask themselves: "Am I enabling action, or am I an obstacle?" Fischer: What does that look like in practice? Pulcrano: One example is Google X. When a moonshot project failed—after years and millions invested—the team that shut it down got a bonus. Why? Because they made the right call. They stopped something that wasn't going to work and freed resources for better bets. Does Culture Really Eat Strategy for Breakfast? Fischer: Peter Drucker famously told us that 'culture eats strategy for breakfast,' so I'm interested in what you think about organizational culture, and how important it is for success in Silicon Valley? Pulcrano: A few things about culture: First: optimism. Even when Silicon Valley Bank [SVB] collapsed, in 2023, the Valley shrugged and poured money into AI startups the next week. That attitude? 'What if it works?'—it's infectious. Second: role models. Everyone in the Valley knows someone who built something, or at least tried. That proximity to success makes ambition feel doable. Third: constructive promiscuity. At a typical Valley barbecue, people swap business cards before burgers. It's not impolite—it's expected. Fischer: Am I right in thinking that the way you see it in Silicon Valley is that a lot of culture is tactical? Pulcrano: In the Valley, it's curiosity and opportunity rolled together. Everyone is 'on the make' always, but everyone is also looking to help, invest, and collaborate. That ethos is powerful. But it can fade—especially as wealth accumulates, risk aversion creeps in, and firms become protectionist. What does the Future of Silicon Valley Look Like? Fischer: I'm in interested in how durable these lessons might be? Silicon Valley has dominated for over fifty years. But can it continue? What might the next fifty look like? Pulcrano: That's a provocative question. I'm optimistic, but cautiously so. Silicon Valley's strength has always been reinvention. Semiconductors, personal computing, the internet, biotech, social media, AI—wave after wave. Each time, it adapted. But now? Fischer: You're not convinced? Pulcrano: I'm seeing signs of incumbent behavior. Some of the giants—Google, Meta, Apple—are acting like the very firms they once disrupted. Risk-averse. Bureaucratic. More lawyers than engineers. That's worrying. Fischer: So, what would it take to stay relevant? Pulcrano: It needs fresh blood. And that's under threat. Immigration policies, visa restrictions—they're slowing down the global talent pipeline. Remember, 60% of the Valley's tech workforce isn't U.S.-born. Choke that off, and the Valley stops breathing. Fischer: So, the magic is in the mix? Pulcrano: Always has been. People come not just from Harvard and MIT, but from India, China, Nigeria, Slovenia. They bring their ambitions, the chips on their shoulders. That stew of dreams and hunger—that's Silicon Valley's secret sauce. Fischer: Can other regions replicate the magic of Silicon Valley? Pulcrano: Not exactly, but they can recreate parts of it. You need three ingredients: talent, money, and ideas, and they must come together efficiently. But it's the efficiency with which you mix them that makes the difference. Fischer: That efficiency being? Pulcrano: Access. In the Valley, the customer, the VC, the tech shop, the legal expert—they're all accessible within 30 minutes. You pitch an idea at breakfast, and prototype it by dinner. That's hard to reproduce in sprawling ecosystems or hierarchical, process-driven multinationals. Fischer: How can incumbents inside large firms imitate that? Pulcrano: Start small. Create internal innovation hubs where people are free to experiment. Kill bureaucracy. Protect intrapreneurs. Build a real network of mentors. Most importantly, ensure sharing and success are incentivized. If ideas stay locked in departments, or behind IP walls, you've already lost. Final Thoughts Fischer: This has all been very interesting! If you could leave our readers with one challenge—especially leaders in mature firms—what would it be? Pulcrano: Ask yourself: 'Am I creating a space where innovation is possible, or merely tolerated?' Then look around. If your team is afraid to disagree, if failure is punished, if new ideas die in PowerPoint—your culture needs rewiring. And, if you are wondering whether you need to go to California to do this: you don't. The Valley isn't a place—it's a mindset. You just need to think like a rebel—and surround yourself with others who will, too.
