The UK government¡¯s recent proposal to reduce the post-study graduate visa from two years to 18 months has reignited debate about migration in higher education. But amid the headlines focused on international students, one crucial group has been largely overlooked: international academic staff and researchers.

Nearly 78,000 international academics were employed across UK higher education institutions in 2022-23, making up of the academic workforce. In some disciplines, such as engineering and technology, that proportion rose to nearly half. These individuals are not peripheral; they are essential to the teaching, research and international reputation of British universities. Yet growing immigration restrictions risk turning the UK into a mere career stopover, rather than a long-term destination for academic talent.

Over the past decade, global mobility has become a defining feature of academic careers. Researchers increasingly cross borders to build competitive CVs, collaborate and respond to the demands of a globally connected knowledge economy. Our recent research, published in the??and?, reveals the lived realities of these internationally mobile academics ¨C not as privileged cosmopolitans but as professionals navigating a demanding and often destabilising lifestyle.

For many, the most enduring challenge is emotional. The notion of an ¡°emotional home¡±¨C a stable place anchored by family, friendships and routine ¨C is difficult to maintain when careers require regular relocation, frequent travel or long-distance commuting. In its place, academics construct what we call ¡°functional homes¡±: a university flat, a rented room during a fellowship or a temporary base near a lab. These spaces serve practical needs but rarely offer the psychological grounding that comes with feeling settled.

51³Ô¹Ï

One international academic we spoke to says: ¡°Living far from my parents, friends and hometown is very difficult, very isolating. Imagine living in a city of eight million people [London] and yet feeling so alone. To escape this feeling, I¡­stay in the office late into the night, work from busy coffee shops, and even rented [a] flat in the city centre. But none of these seem to help.¡± ?

While international academics often find professional belonging within their departments, many struggle to build meaningful connections outside work ¨C particularly if they are on short-term contracts, or are split between multiple locations, or are unsure how long they will stay.

51³Ô¹Ï

Some rely on expatriate networks or what we call ¡°commercial friendships¡± ¨C social bonds formed at gyms, caf¨¦s or other public spaces. These can offer a temporary sense of community, but without secure immigration status or pathways to settlement, social life remains fragmented and fragile.

That lack of social connection is amplified by immigration barriers such as rising visa fees and health surcharges and the recent doubling of the length of time you must be in the country before you can apply for citizenship, from five to 10 years. When policies make it harder to plan for the future, the emotional cost of mobility becomes unsustainable.

Mobility also comes with a hidden cognitive burden: an ongoing effort to relearn how to live everyday life, from understanding health systems and school enrolment procedures to navigating housing markets, tax codes and cultural expectations.

Even experienced researchers describe feeling like perpetual outsiders. One Chinese academic we interviewed put it plainly: ¡°With every move, there comes many unknown factors, there is so much to learn, a new bank, finding a place to live, schools for the kids.¡± Even when they return to familiar countries, ¡°something has changed that I need to learn and plan for in advance¡±.

Each new immigration hurdle adds to this uncertainty. The constant recalibration required to stay compliant with shifting 51³Ô¹Ï Office regulations diminishes the mental space needed to conduct research, teach effectively or build lasting institutional ties.

51³Ô¹Ï

If the UK is serious about remaining a global hub for research and innovation, universities must take the lead in addressing these pressures. Immigration policy may be outside their direct control, but institutions can still act to support their international staff. Crucially, institutions must go beyond transactional support. What¡¯s needed is a cultural shift that recognises internationally mobile academics as full members of the university community ¨C not as temporary visitors.

One measure universities should adopt is to offer relocating academics?assistance with schooling, housing, healthcare access and spousal employment. Flexible working policies can also help staff maintain ties with their extended families in distant time zones by freeing up time to speak to them at times that work for them.

Structured social support would also be welcome, such as peer mentoring schemes and community integration initiatives to combat isolation. So too would mental health provision tailored to the specific emotional and psychological pressures of transnational living.

51³Ô¹Ï

The proposed visa changes are not just bureaucratic adjustments. They are part of a broader pattern of political hostility to immigrants that sends a chilling message to international academics: you are replaceable, and your place in the UK is conditional.

But these individuals are not just numbers in a workforce. They are researchers publishing in top journals, lecturers inspiring the next generation, collaborators securing major international grants. If British universities want to attract and retain such talent, they must advocate more forcefully for immigration policies that reflect the realities ¨C and value ¨C of international academic life.

Anything less risks damaging the trust and goodwill that make academic careers in the UK viable for international staff ¨C to the detriment of all staff and students in UK higher education.

is senior lecturer in marketing at Queen Mary University of London. is professor of marketing at Bayes Business School, City St George¡¯s, University of London. is associate professor of marketing at ESCP Business School.

51³Ô¹Ï