1,100 scientists and students barred from UK amid China crackdown

• The Foreign Office refused to give a breakdown by nationality
• Scientists say the scheme is leaving the universities struggling to recruit the best talent from abroad
• Students being barred comes after the UK government hardened the country’s stance on scientific ties with Beijing

Amid a major government crackdown on research collaboration with China, more than 1,100 scientists and postgraduate students were banned from working in the UK last year. A record 1,104 scientists and postgraduates were rejected by Foreign Office vetting in 2022, up from 128 in 2020 and just 13 in 2016, a report mentioned.

The Foreign Office declined to provide a breakdown by nationality. “In 2020 and again the following year, we expanded the scope of the Academic Technology Approval Scheme. This meant that more overseas academics now had to be approved before working in the UK,” a government spokesman said as per reports. “This has significantly increased the number of applications we receive and therefore the number we reject. Rejection rates remain low at around 2% of all applications. We try to minimize delays in studying applicants, with most applications being processed within 30 working days," the spokeswoman added.

However, figures provided by leading universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College suggest that Chinese academics make up the majority of those denied clearance at these institutions. The policy change has been welcomed by some, but leading academics say the system is leaving universities struggling to recruit top talent from abroad.

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said universities were "very conscious of the need to understand and mitigate the risks". "But research projects are being delayed, recruitment attempts are being delayed, and we don't think it's in anyone's interest for that to be the case. It is a serious problem," he added.

The rise in expelled scientists and postgraduate students comes after the UK government tightened the country's stance on scientific ties with Beijing, MI5 warned of a growing spying threat, the closure of major research centers and accusations by a government minister that a leading Chinese genomics company regularly sought to hack into genetic NHS database.