Adam Smith Institute

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Migrant entrepreneurs are shunning the UK - Annabel Denham writes for CityAM

Programmes Director of The Entrepreneurs Network, Annabel Denham, writes on the findings of TEN's latest survey, Made in the UK: Unlocking the Door to International Entrepreneursin CityAM. The survey found that the UK is losing its talented international students with entrepreneurial ambitions to other countries. Although nearly half, 42%, of international students intend to start up their own business following graduation, only 33% of these students, or 14% of the total, want to do so in the UK.

Our new report, Made in the UK: Unlocking the Door to International Entrepreneurs, conducted with the National Union of Students, shows just how beneficial retaining international talent could be: as many as 42 per cent of current international (non-EU) students intend to set up their own businesses following graduation. But our research also reveals a worrying disconnect between potential and policy: just a third want to found their business in the UK, and just 18 per cent think the processes in place for post-study work in the UK are better than in other countries.

More must be done to encourage these students to start up companies in Britain when they finish their studies, and to this end the government needs to reform the graduate entrepreneur visa, introduced in 2012 to try to plug the gap left by ending the post-study option.

 

Read the full article here.