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No Relaxation of Immigration Rules for Indian Nationals Says PM

Posted onNovember 7, 2016

British Prime Minister, Theresa May is in India this week, paving the way for the country’s first post-Brexit trade deal during a three-day whirlwind visit.

Mrs May was quoted today as saying she wants Britain to be a passionate advocate of free trade around the world, pushing a vision of globalisation at a time that governments and voters have expressed doubts about its benefits.

She also stated that there were no immediate plans to relax visa rules for Indian nationals as the UK was already able to attract "the brightest and the best" from outside the EU.

"Nine out of 10 visa applications from India are already accepted," she said.

However, if the Indian government would assist with the ability to return overstayers more quickly, the rules could be revisited.

"The UK will consider further improvements to our visa offer if, at the same time, we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain," Ms May told reporters.

Attracting high-net-worth Indian nationals to the UK

The Prime Minister stated that she plans to make it easier for wealthy Indian business people to enter the UK. A limited number of high-net-worth individuals and their families will be offered access to the Great Club, a bespoke visa application system designed to make applying for UK visa easier and more efficient.

Many Indians on Tier 2 work visas will also be able to join the Registered Travellers Scheme which will mean they can get through UK border controls more quickly.

No reprieve for students and Tier 4 applicants

The number of Indian Tier 4 students coming to study in Britain has plunged from 39,100 to 18,300 over the past five years, thanks to an overly restrictive PBS visa system, which makes it hard for students to apply under Tier 4 Visa in the first place and subsequently tries to stop them from taking up jobs in the UK once they graduate. However, upon exiting the EU, restrictions may relax as the Government comes under pressure from industries such as health, engineering and technology who many believe will struggle to retain and recruit the talent they need to grow if Immigration from EEA countries is restricted.

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