London: Indian students and professionals will now have to wait for 10 years to apply for permanent residency in the UK. This came after British prime minister Keir Starmer unveiled a slew of measures to restrict the number of immigrants settling down in the UK.
Indians, who form the largest group of students and professionals to reach the UK every year, will be the worst affected, it is believed. The Office for National Statistics has claimed that in 2023, nearly 250,000 Indians travelled to the UK for work and educational opportunities.
Among the measures being taken by the British government is doubling the wait time for those seeking permanent residency from five to 10 years. This means that only those who have stayed in the UK for at least 10 years can apply for permanent residency, which is officially known as Indefinite Leave to Remain or ILR.
Only those who can show ‘a real and lasting contribution to the economy and society’, will be exempt from this new rule.
The norms for applying for a skilled worker visa have also been strengthened. Applicants will now need a degree to apply. Till now, a A-Level (Class-XII) would suffice. The norms were relaxed when Boris Johnson was the British prime minister.
There was a lot of pressure on Starmer to bring down immigration. There was also a Tory proposal for an annual cap. The British prime minister avoided doing so, but made it clear that his steps will have the desired impact. “I’m promising it will fall significantly,” the Financial Times quotes Starmer as saying.
According to The Guardian, Starmer said: “The government would take back control or our borders and close the book on squalid chapter of rising inward migration.”
Reports claim that nearly 85% of immigrants to the UK are from non-EU nations. It has also been found that the rate of net annual immigration to the UK has fallen by 10%.
The other measures include increasing the salary threshold for all visa holders who plan to take their dependents along and increase in English language requirements for visa holders and dependents.
