Proposed UK Visa Norm Removes Cap On Skilled Work Visa Issued; Indians To Benefit

New Delhi: Hundreds of Indian students including aspirants from Odisha, IT professionals and doctors stand to benefit from the proposed post-Brexit immigration rules of the British Government which is expected to come into vogue from 2021. This is the biggest overhaul of Britain’s immigration system in 40 years.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said “this will be a system where it is workers’ skills that matter, not which country they come from.”

Here’s a lowdown on the visa proposals:

1.The White Paper on Britain’s post-Brexit visas and immigration strategy unveiled in Parliament on Wednesday has removed an annual cap of 20,700 on the number of skilled work visas issued, benefitting doctors and IT professionals from India, among others. The skilled workforce used to come to Britain through the Tier 2 visa.

2. In the year ending September 2018, 55% of all Tier 2 visas were granted to Indians, according to Dave Ratcliffe, regional director for UK Visas and Immigration, south and south east Asia.

3. According to the white paper, students having a bachelors or masters degree can work four to six months after their studies end and up to 12 months if they have a PhD.

4. Allowing graduates to stay on for longer to find work in the UK sends the message that international students are welcome here, and we value the skills they bring.
These changes will have a real, positive impact on the students who come here to study and their opportunities after graduating,” Vivienne Stern, Director of Universities UK International told Live Mint.

5. The white paper proposes minimum salary requirement of 30,000 pounds for skilled migrants seeking five-year visas. Low-skilled workers may be able to apply for short-term visas of up to a year.

6. The proposed rule removes cap on highly-skilled migrants from anywhere in the world and improves the post-study work offering for international students.

7. There will be no ‘resident market labour test and new skilled routes will include workers with intermediate level skills, such as A level, not just graduates. Those coming through this route will be able to bring dependents, extend their stay, switch to other routes and settle permanently.

8. Shiva Kadu, an Indian software engineer working in London told The Times of India that the new policy mostly favours high skilled workers like him. Removing the cap of 20,700 on high-skilled category in a bold and good move as London is built on immigrants skills.