UK may offer cheaper, easier visas for Indians

The UK is planning to relax immigration rules by offering cheaper and easier visas for Indian tourists, students and professionals, in an attempt to clinch a trade deal with India, a media report said on Saturday.

UK International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan is expected to travel to New Delhi this month, when formal negotiations on a proposed India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) are expected to begin. Trevelyan is expected to use this visit to open the prospect of relaxing immigration rules for Indian citizens, a key demand from New Delhi, a newspaper reported.

While she has the backing of Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, who has put securing closer ties with India on top of the government’s agenda to counter the growing influence of China, Home Secretary Priti Patel is opposed to this move, the report said.

In May last year, Patel had signed a ‘bespoke’ and reciprocal Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to have around 3,000 students and professionals a year access work experience benefits in either country.

Under the MMP, both sides have agreed to work towards an April 2022 timeline to bring the new system in place, with work underway in the High Commission in London and the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

However, under further immigration plans reportedly in the works, one option being looked at is a scheme similar to that agreed as part of the UK’s FTA with Australia, which would allow young Indians the chance to come and work in the UK for up to three years.

Another option would be to cut visa fees for students, thereby allowing them to stay in the UK for a period after they graduate, possibly building upon the Graduate Route visa under the points-based immigration rules currently in place, the report said. There could also be reductions in the fees for work and tourism visas. At present, it can cost an Indian citizen up to GBP 1,400 for a work visa, while students pay GBP 348 and tourists GBP 95 respectively.

These are in sharp contrast with visa fees for countries such as China, who have to pay significantly less.

Indian-origin peer Lord Karan Bilimoria, the president of the Confederation of British Industry, has been among the most vocal advocates for lowering visa fees for Indians.

“That FTA, I hope, will benefit in enhancing bilateral trade and be as comprehensive as possible,” he had said.

“We look forward to launching negotiations early this year. India is projected to become the world’s third largest economy by 2050, and a trade deal will open huge opportunities for

UK businesses to trade with India’s GBP 2 trillion economy,” a UK government spokesperson said.