India makes push for U.K. immigration reform

India makes push for U.K. immigration reform

Context

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu and Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju’s visit to UK

Issues stressed

• Review of immigration policies relating to India, including on student visas and the extension of a visa system introduced for Chinese visitors to the U.K.
• Introduction of a two-year visa system for business travellers
  • Britain introduced the system for Chinese visitors in 2016
• Ease of getting visas and the costs which could prove prohibitive for the services sector. Costs have been rising amid a toughening of the U.K. policy regime in this area
• Visa-free travel for Indian diplomats in the U.K. Britain remained the only major European country not to bring in this policy
• Treatment of women on spousal visas
  • It is a growing issue of concern, amid fears that women who had accompanied partners on spousal visas would be deserted in India, had their visas cancelled

Trade opportunities

During the course of his visit, Mr. Prabhu held a number of discussions, including taking part in the 12th India-U.K. Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting, in which the recommendations of the Joint Working Group on trade were discussed. With Britain unable to commence formal discussions on a trade deal with India till it leaves the EU, the two countries have begun informal talks on the scope of potential trade opportunities through this working group

Future cooperation

• Energy: India would be working with Britain on cooperation around new technical innovation when it came to the use of wind, tidal and solar energy, as well as the potential for British firms in this area to set up manufacturing facilities in industrial corridors in India

Upcoming CHOGM visit

The visits come in the light of the upcoming visit of Indian PM to UK for CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting)

MoU on illegal immigrants’return

Both India & Britain have agreed to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding on the swift return of Indian illegal immigrants from the U.K

Significance: This issue has been repeatedly raised by the British government and cited as an obstacle to immigration reform on the British side

• The progress on this issue — the MoU will likely be signed during Mr. Modi’s visit — will be seen as a gesture of goodwill on the Indian side and will strengthen their calls for change on the U.K.