> It does not limit the movement of academics. This is up to the government and they can make it as easy and simple as they want. Well I guess that's technical

> It does not limit the movement of academics. This is up to the government and they can make it as easy and simple as they want. Well I guess that's technically true. But in practice they're not making it easy! The issue isn't just optics. It's that it's much harder to get a visa than it used to be, the process has become a lot more expensive, and that there are much fewer guarantees that someone obtaining a visa will be able to continue to remain in the UK. It's a big decision to move your life to a new country, and it's hard to justify it if the government can eject you again at short notice on their whim.