Norfolk's position as a centre for world-leading research has been put under threat due to the government's new visa rules, academics have said.
The University of East Anglia and the director of the Sainsbury Lab, a Norwich-based plant sciences institute, have criticised the changes to skilled worker visas announced this week as part of a crackdown on immigration.
They fear raising the income threshold could have a damaging effect on Norfolk's economy and will hamper the ability to recruit future leaders in their fields.
This week it was announced that people applying for this visa must earn a minimum of £38,700 - an increase of 47.7pc from £26,200 - as part of efforts to slash legal migration.
However, starting salaries for postdoctoral students are around £32,000, meaning they would not be eligible to work in the UK under the new rules.
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Professor Nick Talbot, executive director and group leader of the Sainsbury Laboratory, said: "Like all of the world’s top science institutions, we compete to recruit the finest minds from anywhere in the world.
"The recent announcement from the government is likely to make the recruitment of these young scientists much harder.
"Science drives economic growth but this policy will have a negative impact, particularly in the long term, unless there is a re-think by ministers.
"It is completely opposite to other government policies encouraging international science activities - it does not make a lot of sense.”
The University of East Anglia has said the number of international students applying to study in the UK are "collapsing" amid the changes, which include higher NHS surcharges and a review of the graduate visa programme.
A spokesman said: "Overseas students boosted the UK economy by 41.9 billion in 2021/22.
"Fewer international students would mean less money for our economy and it would really hit a range of local businesses."
The changes are part of a package of measures to come into force in spring 2024 which home secretary James Cleverly says will "tackle exploitation across the immigration system".
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