India & UK migration and mobility partnership agreement to boost work-visas for Indian nationals
“The living bridge between India and UK will get stronger as a result,”
– S Jaishankar (Indian External Affairs Minister )
The United Kingdom and India have agreed to a new migration agreement that will benefit both nations through a new plan for Indian and British professionals.
The United Kingdom and India have inked an ambitious new migration cooperation, in which both nations will benefit from a new plan that would allow young Indian and British professionals to live and work in each other’s countries.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, and S. Jaishankar, the Indian Minister of External Affairs, signed the ‘Migration and Mobility Partnership’ on 4 May, 2021, which aims to make it easier for British and Indian nationals to live and work in each other’s countries while also enhancing cooperation in the fight against immigration crime and fraud.
- A special Young Professionals scheme includes in the agreement allow young Indian and British professionals to work in each other’s country for two years – the first such scheme for a visa-national country (countries that require visit visas to visit the UK).
- This agreement will save those who migrate lawfully to the UK – the vast majority of Indian nationals – by sweetening cooperation in combatting organised immigration crime and speeding up returns of visa overstayers.
- This agreement for partnership forms part of the UK Government’s commitment to offering an immigration system that attracts qualified people from India, whilst enhancing UK-India cooperation on ensuring the system is proper and secure.
This historic agreement demonstrates the UK government’s commitment to providing an immigration system that attracts the smartest and brightest people from India and throughout the world. It also strengthens UK-India collaboration to protect the vast majority of Indian citizens who follow immigration laws by preventing unfair system manipulation by a tiny minority who violate visa restrictions or enter the UK unlawfully.
Thousands of 18-30-year-olds will be able to work and reside in each other’s countries for up to two years under the terms of the deal. This professional and cultural exchange initiative will operate in a similar manner to current Youth Mobility Schemes, with India being the first visa national country to benefit from it (i.e. nations that require visas to enter the UK).
Each year, up to 3,000 young Indian professionals will be able to go to the UK via this method.
India has already benefited from the United Kingdom’s new points-based immigration system, which evaluates applicants based on their abilities and aptitude rather than their origins.
