Tech
How UK tech firms can reduce risk amid reforms to immigration | Computer Weekly
The IT sector relies on immigration and global mobility to address skills shortages, drive innovation, and support business growth. Global mobility has facilitated leadership development and knowledge transfer, helping companies meet evolving business needs. Recent changes to UK immigration policy threaten to disrupt this flow of talent.
The Immigration Quarterly Statistics highlight this impact. In the year ending March 2024, 67,703 Skilled Worker visas were granted, but the number issued to IT professionals fell by 25% compared to the previous year. By June 2025, 10,231 such visas had been issued —a decline of around 23% year-on-year. Employers are increasingly asking why this is happening and what can be done.
The Skilled Worker route has undergone significant changes in the past 18 months. In April 2024, the minimum salary increased from £26,200 to £38,700, and “going rates” for specific occupations were revised to median salaries rather than the 25th percentile. On 22 July 2025, thresholds rose again to £41,700, and only jobs at degree level (RQF Level 6) or above generally qualify. Calculating the correct salary, especially for those switching from Student or Graduate Visas, has become far more complex.
High sponsorship costs and increased government compliance further discourage employers. Some employers have advised that, because of last years’ higher minimum salary required under the Skilled Worker visa, the cost of transitioning student or graduate visa holders to Skilled Worker status could increase by at least 50%. An assessment of tech startup workers indicated that 37% would not meet those new salary requirements.
Meanwhile, other countries are actively attracting IT talent. The EU Blue Card allows highly skilled non-EU workers to live and settle in member states. Germany issued 78% of the 89,000 Blue Cards in 2023 and set their 2025 IT salary threshold at €43,760. Canada prioritizes tech and AI skills, while Singapore offers competitive visas targeting similar global talent. Spain issued 28,000 Digital Nomad Visas in 2024, requiring a minimum monthly income of €2,700 and remote employment, with Cyprus providing both this, multiple other visa options and potential income tax incentives for tech workers.
Tips for UK employers
Despite tighter migration policies, there are ways for UK employers to help those seeking new or renewed sponsorship. Clear communication with existing and prospective employees is essential to prevent misinformation. HR teams should provide timely, accurate updates on immigration changes, countering hostile, or misleading media coverage. Recruiters must carefully consider future sponsorship possibilities, likely to be limited to degree-level roles, with calculation of the precise salary thresholds before making offers being critical. Alternative immigration routes, including the Youth Mobility Scheme and Global Talent programme, can also support international recruitment.
Finally, employers unable to recruit due to these changes should make the impact clear to industry representatives and government bodies. Highlighting the effects of higher salary thresholds and stricter skill requirements can influence Government policy, particularly when combined with public awareness.
The 2024–2025 changes tighten access to sponsorship. Adapting to these changes may determine whether the UK remains a competitive destination for global IT talent.
Simon Kenny is Immigration and Global Mobility Partner at Spencer West LLP
by Yin Huajie; Zhao Weiwei, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
A team led by Prof. Yin Huajie from the Hefei Institute of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a solar-powered system that produces green hydrogen directly from atmospheric moisture without relying on external water or energy sources.
The results are published in Advanced Materials.
Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE) technology is one of the primary routes for producing green hydrogen, drawing significant attention due to its high efficiency and high-purity hydrogen output. However, the PEMWE process heavily relies on high-purity water as the reaction raw material, limiting its application in water-scarce regions. Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH), as an emerging approach to obtaining pure water, holds promise as a viable solution to the water shortage issue in the production of green hydrogen.
In this study, the researchers developed a self-sustaining system that couples photothermal atmospheric water harvesting with proton exchange membrane electrolysis.
The system uses hierarchically porous carbon as an adsorbent to capture moisture from the air, which is evaporated by solar heat and fed into a custom-built electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The porous material is fabricated through template synthesis and calcination, followed by surface oxidation to improve water affinity.
It demonstrates remarkable performance. Even under low humidity conditions (as low as 20%), it maintains stable water collection and evaporation performance. Under 40% humidity, the system reached a hydrogen production rate of nearly 300 mL per hour with excellent cycle stability and long-term reliability.
Field tests further confirmed that it can continuously produce green hydrogen using only solar energy, with zero carbon emissions and no external energy input.
This work provides a new pathway for sustainable hydrogen production in water-scarce regions, according to the team.
More information:
Bo Fu et al, Solar‐Driven Atmospheric Water Production Through Hierarchically Ordered Porous Carbon for Self‐Sustaining Green Hydrogen Production, Advanced Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202511336
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Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Solar-powered system produces green hydrogen directly from air moisture (2025, September 25)
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At its annual Oktane customer conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, identity and access management specialist Okta has been expanding its vision to be a first-port-of-call when it comes to securing non-human identities (NHIs) as a swelling wave of artificial intelligence (AI) agents causes their numbers to swell dramatically.
Among the announcements made today are new capabilities within both the Okta and Auth0 platforms that the supplier said will enable users to integrate AI agents seamlessly into their identity security fabrics.
A study released earlier in 2025 by Okta revealed that although 91% of organisations were already deploying agentic AI in search of productivity gains, but also that just 10% of organisations are today putting any form of cyber governance in place to manage agents – so Okta believes the risk is also rising, and fast.
Such risks are no longer theoretical; Okta cited incidents such as the now infamous breach which an AI bot built on the Paradox AI platform and used by fast-food giant McDonalds in its hiring process exposed the personal data of millions of job applicants to hackers who correctly guessed that its password was ‘123456’.
Okta CEO Todd McKInnon compared unleashing AI agents on an organisation’s environment to creating a lot of individual new insider threats.
“AI agents are a powerful new identity type. They can act independently, on their own or on behalf of a user or a team or a company,” said McKinnon. “They can access tools, apps or data, they can plan or complete tasks on their own. The pace here of innovation is absolutely stunning.
“These AI agents and the potential here, are getting very, very powerful and it’s happening very quickly.
“Without identity security AI security collapses. AI security is identity security, you can’t be successful in one without the other,” said McKinnon.
Okta for Agents
Officially launched today, the firm’s new Okta for AI Agents concept will integrate AI agents into identity security fabrics to provide an end-to-end security wrap around them.
Among other things, the service provides tools to enable agent discovery and identification of risky – or rogue shadow – agents, centralised controls to manage their access, and automated governance to enforce wider security policies and manage their overall security journeys or ‘lifecycles’.
Notable among the features of the new package, Okta is talking up Cross App Access (XAA), a protocol which extends OAuth to secure agent-driven and application-to-application interactions. With support from partners such as AWS, Box, Google Cloud, Salesforce and many others, Okta said XAA will shift control from individual apps to the wider identity layer, bringing real-time visibility, policy-driven security, and safer agentic integrations.
“Enterprises everywhere are grappling with how to safely harness AI with company data. Our customers rely on Glean to unify that knowledge and empower AI agents to take meaningful action,” said Sunil Agrawal, CISO at AI data platform Glean, which has been working with Okta on XAA.
“Glean agents act strictly on behalf of the user – with no extra privileges. XAA takes that principle even further and represents the next step toward making it more secure and seamless for AI agents to connect across systems. We’re excited to support this emerging protocol and to help guide the industry toward standards-based agent interactions.”
Kristen Swanson, senior vice president of design and research at Okta, added. “The modern enterprise requires an identity security fabric that can unify silos and reduce the attack surface. Our latest innovations weave agents into that fabric to manage their entire identity lifecycle, leveraging open standards like Cross App Access that help elevate the entire industry and create a more secure AI-powered ecosystem.”
Elsewhere at Oktane, Okta unveiled Verifiable Digital Credentials (VDC), a new platform designed to reduce AI-powered fraud and potential friction during employee onboarding or other similar processes by enabling organisations to digitally prove a user’s identity and eligibility, and establish ongoing trust.
Other Good MagSafe Accessories
The accessories below aren’t as great as the top picks in this guide, but they’re still good options if you’re looking for more MagSafe gadgets.
Belkin iPhone Mount With MagSafe for $30: Using Apple’s Continuity Camera feature, you can wirelessly use your iPhone as a webcam for a MacBook. It supports various video calling apps too, from FaceTime to Zoom. This circular silicone puck magnetically sticks to the back of your iPhone and can be used as a phone grip or kickstand, but you need to keep your screen close to a 90-degree angle, or else the weight of the iPhone will drag the screen back or forward. There’s also a mount for external displays, in case you want one for your home desk setup.
STM Goods MagPod Smarter Phone Stand for $31: I’ve been carrying this mini tripod from STM Goods all over my apartment. When I’m not using it to see notifications at a glance at my desk, I’ll place it on my kitchen counter to stream TV shows while cooking dinner, on my coffee table to FaceTime with friends while on the couch, or on the bathroom sink to listen to podcasts while doing my makeup. I’ve also used it to shoot video. It has a magnetic disc with a socket that moves around smoothly, allowing you to position it at multiple angles. The retractable legs are sturdy too, even while tapping through notifications or typing out texts. They fold in neatly into a compact size, making it easy to travel with.
Casetify Wireless Car Charger for $70: I’ve been using this for over a year. It’s easy to install, has MagSafe support (with a USB-C cable) and an adjustable ball joint for various viewing angles, and it’s Qi 2-certified with a 15-watt rate. It’s a bit more affordable than Belkin’s and comes in several fun patterns. (I have the Penguin design, and it’s tough not to smile while looking at it.)
iOttie Velox Pro Magnetic Wireless Cooling Charger for $80: This iOttie option has a suction cup (if your vents are awkward, or you just prefer a dash or windshield mount) that has strong magnets to keep it in place. The telescopic arm also has a ball joint to give you a wide range of movement to find the ideal position. The 7.5-watt charging rate is disappointing, but the USB-C charging cable is removable, so you can detach and stow it when your iPhone is charged. The built-in fan also helps to keep the temperature down when the sun is out.
MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1) for $60: This little orb has three AC outlets, two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports on the back, and over on the front is a Qi2 wireless charging pad that can recharge your phone. It’s great for workstations where you need to plug in a lot of gadgets. Each of the USB-A ports dishes out 12 watts, and the USB-C ports can output 67 watts, though this lowers if other ports or the pad are in use.
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A MagSafe SSD Enclosure for $60: If you have an iPhone Pro Max and you want to tinker with Apple’s more advanced video recording formats (ProRes 4K at 60 frames per second or higher), well, you’ll run into one big problem immediately: You can’t natively record without an external storage device. You’ll need a solid-state drive plugged into your iPhone, and it will record your video directly to the external storage. But a dangling SSD doesn’t sound very safe, right? They don’t transfer power or data via MagSafe but merely attach to the back as a convenient way to store the SSD while recording.
Casely Grippy for $25: When Octobuddy (the original suction phone mount) started to get popular, I really wanted one. But since it uses adhesive to attach to your phone, the thought of all the dust and germs the suction cups would collect kept me from trying it. This one from Casely is one of the few that has MagSafe support. It works well, for the most part. I’ve stuck it on kitchen cabinets, mirrors, the refrigerator—basically whatever surface is around. But when sticking it on said surface, I recommend applying extra pressure to make sure the suction cups are really stuck on there. Otherwise, it’ll slide off, and your phone will go with it.
MagSafe is the name of Apple’s accessory system integrated into the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and iPhone 17 ranges. A ring of magnets on the back of the phone (and in MagSafe cases) can help transfer power more precisely and faster than traditional wireless chargers. However, it’s also a handy way to hold an accessory in place, like a wallet, or to mount the iPhone without requiring clamps.
Although MagSafe is a term made by Apple, Android phones like the Google Pixel 10 are getting MagSafe-like features with the new Qi2 standard. Most of the time, a MagSafe accessory will work without issues with Qi2 devices.
Make Sure Your Case Has MagSafe Too
If you use a case with your iPhone, make sure it’s a MagSafe case (it should have its own ring of magnets inside). A standard case will just weaken the magnetic attachment between the iPhone and the MagSafe accessory. A MagSafe case will maintain the magnetic strength, and sometimes case-makers use stronger magnets for a more secure attachment. We have lots of recommendations in our iPhone case guides:
Is MagSafe Compatible With Android?
Natively, no. MagSafe won’t work with most Android phones. However, there are MagSafe cases for certain Android phones, like the Google Pixel series or Samsung Galaxy phones, and these cases have a similar (if not the same) magnetic ring inside, allowing you to use many of the same MagSafe power banks, wireless chargers, and other accessories, though your mileage may vary. Several accessory companies also include or sell the MagSafe magnetic component that you can stick to the back of your smartphone to enable compatibility, though I’ve never used one I really like.
The Qi2 wireless charging standard is changing all of this. Qi2 adds the Magnetic Power Profile, which is based on MagSafe. That means Qi2 phones feature a similar magnetic attachment system, enabling MagSafe accessories to work with more devices, no case needed. Unfortunately, there aren’t many Android phones with Qi2 natively baked in. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series, for example, are “Qi2 Ready” phones because you need a magnetic case to enable the Qi2 functionality as there’s no magnets built into the phone. The recent Google Pixel 10 series is the first range to fully support Qi2, so we should see more devices throughout the next 12 to 18 months.
That’s why you may also start seeing “Qi2” MagSafe devices—the latest iPhones all support Qi2, and any device you buy with Qi2 will offer maximum compatibility.
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