PM offers India more UK visas in return for overstayers deal

Theresa May has offered a deal with India which could see more visas for the country’s nationals to come to the UK in return for increased cooperation in taking back migrants who overstay their permission to remain.

But the Prime Minister gave no ground on Indian concerns over the eligibility criteria for British visas, with aides stressing that any reforms would relate to the speed, convenience and cost of the application process only.

Indian PM Narendra Modi has heaped pressure on Mrs May on the issue during her first visit to the country as Prime Minister, publicly voicing unease over restrictions on access to the UK for students and skilled workers.

And British entrepreneur Sir James Dyson also told a business summit in New Delhi he wanted to see liberalisation of visa rules.

Indian concerns revolve around new minimum salary requirements on workers hoping to relocate to the UK, as well as Mrs May’s removal as home secretary of a right for students to work for two years in Britain after graduation.

The issue has overshadowed a three-day trip devoted to paving the way for a free trade deal following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, as well as the removal of existing barriers to commerce.

Mrs May – who arrived at the head of a 33-strong trade delegation – said deals worth £1 billion had been sealed during the visit, creating more than 1,300 jobs in the UK.

Memorandums of understanding were signed on intellectual property rights and the ease of doing business in India, and the two premiers agreed to cooperate on cyber-security and tackling violent extremists online.

As part of a new “strategic dialogue” on home affairs issues, Mrs May said 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 in the UK”.

“And the UK will continue to welcome the brightest and best Indian students, with the latest figures showing that nine out of 10 applications are granted.”

Aides stressed that the improvements to the visa system on offer did not include any relaxation of eligibility criteria.

Instead, the UK is ready to consider changes such as cutting the cost of visas, speeding up the process or increasing the number of locations where applications can be submitted – something which could increase the number of visas requested and approved.

In return, it was hoped that India will agree to accept back overstayers on the basis of biometric information – such as fingerprints – gathered by UK migration authorities, rather than insisting on documentation which may have been destroyed or lost.

Indian nationals are among the most frequent visa overstayers in the UK, and it is thought that thousands may be covered by a deal of the kind being considered.

Speaking alongside Mrs May at a tech sector summit ahead of their working lunch, Mr Modi made clear his concern about visa changes which have almost halved numbers of Indian students at UK universities over the past five years.

“Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future,” he said.

“We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities.”

Picture: PA. Prime Minister Theresa May is on a three-day visit to India.