politics International
policy for non-EU nationals, which will affect a large number of
Indians, especially IT professionals. Under the new visa rules
announced this week by the UK Home Office, anyone applying
after November 24 under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT)
category would be required to meet a higher salary threshold
requirement of 30,000 pounds from the earlier 20,800 pounds.
The ICT route is largely used by Indian IT companies in UK and
the country’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) had found
earlier this year that Indian IT workers accounted for nearly 90
per cent of visas issued under this route. The motivation for the
same appears to be the MAC’s belief that the current immigration
policy is not incentivizing employers to train and skill the UK
workforce and that there are no reciprocal arrangements that
provide the UK staff the opportunity to gain skills, training and
experience from working in India.
The tightening of rules on post-study stay in the UK discourages
students to work in Britain after completing their studies there;
consequently the number of those enrolled in British universities
has halved from 40,000 to about 20,000 in the past five years.
Nationals outside the EU, including Indians, will also be affected
by new English language requirements when applying for
settlement as a family member after two and a half years in the
UK on a five-year route to residency settlement in the UK.
Critics ask why it is being made harder for Indian companies in
the UK to bring in skilled workers from outside the country when
India is the third-largest investor in Britain and Indian companies
are its largest manufacturing employer. India is UK’s second
largest international job creator – last year, India created 7,105
new jobs in Britain through 140 projects. India is likely to take up
the visa issue with May during the visit.
Comparisons are also being made with visa rules for the
Chinese, which are reportedly being granted more liberally and for
longer durations. Since 2010, when May became home secretary,
the number of Indian students studying at UK universities has
declined while the number of Chinese students has risen from
approx. 55,000 to 90,000 a year over the same period.
May’s India visit is being seen as its first major test of
its ability to carry through its policy objectives of building
stronger partnerships with non-EU countries while at the same
time introducing the tougher immigration regime that the
government’s electoral constituency has demanded through the
Brexit referendum.
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November 16-30, 2016 The Dayafter
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