Figures a big deal for May, Indians

LONDON: Indians have long been at the heart of the sensitive discourse of immigration in Britain.

For most of the time, they have been seen in a negative light.

For the first time, official figures released on Thursday paint a rather different picture of visiting Indians in recent years: the vast majority (97%) – including students – return before their visas expire, busting some myths.

The figures not only brought cheer in Indian quarters, but also put Prime Minister Theresa May in the dock, who, as home secretary and no was premier, used the “overstayers” card to make it tough for Indian and other non-EU students to come to Britain, leading to a major drop.

The good news for Indian visitors and students, however, needs tobe tempe red with the fact that some Indian citizens con- tinue to be caught abusing the visa system.

The new figures have already enthused sections of the Indian community to demand improvement of the visa offer, but this is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

For now, the hope is that the figures will mute some of the negative voices about India and Indian sin the discourse of immigration, while the government faces more pressure to stop considering non-EU students as mi grants.

May’s critics rounded on her after figures from the Office for National Statistics and Home Office showed that 97% of international students return after completing their studies.

Home secretary Amber Rudd, who has been following the May doctrine and promised new curbs on non-EU students and professionals, hast asked the Migration Advisory Committee to report on the impact of international students.