Several British Nobel laureates has said that the government’s plan to put an annual cap on immigration from outside the European Union will affect the deprive UK science of talent and also exclude it from the international world of research.

Sir Harry Kroto pointed out to the case of Prashant Jain, an Indian material scientist from the Florida State University, who was offered a fellowship by the Cambridge University, who was denied a visa because he was not able to secure enough points under the points-based immigration system to get eh work permit. Sir Harry Kroto had received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1996.

In a letter from the eight Nobel Prize-winners to The Times, they said that the country’s reputation as a global centre of research excellence will be damaged if it becomes difficult for universities to recruit from abroad.

They said that Nobel prize-winners in science such as Professor Venki Ramakrishnan have enhanced British science and society for decades.

“They add to our store of knowledge and inspire countless young researchers to follow in their footsteps. These benefits are jeopardised by the government's plan to cap migration to the U. K. It would damage our ability to recruit the brightest young talent, as well as distinguished scientists, into our universities and industries. The U. K. must not isolate itself from the increasingly globalised world of research — British science depends on it,” the scientists wrote.

They pointed out to the exception being made for the Premier League footballers and said that it will be a wrong reflection of the country’s priorities if a similar recognition is not given to elite scientists and engineers.

The scientists included Russian-born Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who share this year's Nobel Prize for Physics, Sir Martin Evans who won Nobel Prize for Medicine, 2007, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov who won Nobel Prize for Physics, 2010 and Sir Tim Hunt and Sir Paul Nurse who won Nobel Prize for Medicine, 2001.