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| Theresa May will improve visa offer if India takes back citizens illegally in UK | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Theresa May has said she could consider relaxing Britain’s visa restrictions for Indian citizens, but only if the country takes steps to speed up the return of any of its nationals living illegally in the UK. | Theresa May has said she could consider relaxing Britain’s visa restrictions for Indian citizens, but only if the country takes steps to speed up the return of any of its nationals living illegally in the UK. |
| The prime minister and her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, agreed to establish talks on a range of home affairs issues including visas, returns and organised crime. | The prime minister and her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, agreed to establish talks on a range of home affairs issues including visas, returns and organised crime. |
| “As part of this, 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,” May said during her first bilateral visit outside Europe. | “As part of this, 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,” May said during her first bilateral visit outside Europe. |
| The three-day trip is aimed at establishing a closer trading relationship with India in a post-Brexit world. As part of the talks in Delhi, Modi underlined a desire for the British government to make it easier for Indian students and highly educated workers to travel into the UK. | The three-day trip is aimed at establishing a closer trading relationship with India in a post-Brexit world. As part of the talks in Delhi, Modi underlined a desire for the British government to make it easier for Indian students and highly educated workers to travel into the UK. |
| He said he wanted a new joint working group on trade between Britain and India to look not only at goods but also at expanding access to services and to consider “greater mobility of skilled professionals”. | He said he wanted a new joint working group on trade between Britain and India to look not only at goods but also at expanding access to services and to consider “greater mobility of skilled professionals”. |
| A government source said the UK had responded to Indian demands by unveiling two new schemes during the trip to make it easier for business travellers to obtain visas and enter Britain through the e-passport channels. | A government source said the UK had responded to Indian demands by unveiling two new schemes during the trip to make it easier for business travellers to obtain visas and enter Britain through the e-passport channels. |
| She said there was a willingness to find other ways to liberalise the visa scheme, including the possibility of cutting costs for Indians. | She said there was a willingness to find other ways to liberalise the visa scheme, including the possibility of cutting costs for Indians. |
| However, she said there would be no softening of the overall criteria put in place for those applying for visas, suggesting any reforms could fall short of those demanded. | However, she said there would be no softening of the overall criteria put in place for those applying for visas, suggesting any reforms could fall short of those demanded. |
| May also told reporters that she believed the system was sufficiently generous in terms of numbers, arguing that Britain issued “more work visas to India than I think US, Australia and China put together”. She stressed that nine out of 10 applications were successful. | May also told reporters that she believed the system was sufficiently generous in terms of numbers, arguing that Britain issued “more work visas to India than I think US, Australia and China put together”. She stressed that nine out of 10 applications were successful. |
| The prime minister’s decision to stress a demand to return Indians overstaying their visas, after a bilateral discussion with Modi, received a sceptical response from some of the Indian journalists covering the event. | The prime minister’s decision to stress a demand to return Indians overstaying their visas, after a bilateral discussion with Modi, received a sceptical response from some of the Indian journalists covering the event. |
| Priyanka Tikoo, editor and bureau chief of the Press Trust of India, said it appeared that the prime minister was “looking for more trade but less people”. | Priyanka Tikoo, editor and bureau chief of the Press Trust of India, said it appeared that the prime minister was “looking for more trade but less people”. |
| Tikoo argued that any trading deal with India would only be established if it was a “win-win” for both countries, and warned that the statement on Indians being returned would “not go down well”. | Tikoo argued that any trading deal with India would only be established if it was a “win-win” for both countries, and warned that the statement on Indians being returned would “not go down well”. |
| The issue of Britain tightening the rules made headlines in India last week after the government said that IT workers applying for tier 2 visas would need to meet a significantly higher salary threshold. That followed Britain cutting the period of time that graduates from India can remain in the UK. | The issue of Britain tightening the rules made headlines in India last week after the government said that IT workers applying for tier 2 visas would need to meet a significantly higher salary threshold. That followed Britain cutting the period of time that graduates from India can remain in the UK. |
| “If you see what is happening in the UK vis-a-vis Indians, you look at the difficult travel conditions for professionals travelling to the UK, especially IT professionals, and the UK has made it more difficult for students to stay on and look for a job there,” Tikoo said. | “If you see what is happening in the UK vis-a-vis Indians, you look at the difficult travel conditions for professionals travelling to the UK, especially IT professionals, and the UK has made it more difficult for students to stay on and look for a job there,” Tikoo said. |
| The government source argued there were a number of other possible concessions that could encourage India to enter into a trade deal, including technology and skills transfers. | The government source argued there were a number of other possible concessions that could encourage India to enter into a trade deal, including technology and skills transfers. |
| The issue also triggered discussion in the UK where one group, WPI Strategy, argued that India could demand the scrapping of subsidies for British farmers to enable a deal. | The issue also triggered discussion in the UK where one group, WPI Strategy, argued that India could demand the scrapping of subsidies for British farmers to enable a deal. |
| Sean Worth, director at WPI Strategy and a former Downing Street adviser, argued there were good reasons why trade talks between the EU and India had previously stalled. | Sean Worth, director at WPI Strategy and a former Downing Street adviser, argued there were good reasons why trade talks between the EU and India had previously stalled. |
| “Theresa May has the chance to achieve something that the EU hasn’t been able to do for nine years – a trade deal with India. The prime minister will, however, be confronted with exactly the same problems as her European counterparts. Her trade negotiators will have to fight tooth and nail not to give ground on the movement of people, but this could mean putting the future of UK farming at risk,” he said. However, he said the potential benefits could be huge. | “Theresa May has the chance to achieve something that the EU hasn’t been able to do for nine years – a trade deal with India. The prime minister will, however, be confronted with exactly the same problems as her European counterparts. Her trade negotiators will have to fight tooth and nail not to give ground on the movement of people, but this could mean putting the future of UK farming at risk,” he said. However, he said the potential benefits could be huge. |
| Sam Bowman, executive director of the Adam Smith Institute, agreed that the benefits of a deal would be positive, and called on May to be more flexible on migration. | Sam Bowman, executive director of the Adam Smith Institute, agreed that the benefits of a deal would be positive, and called on May to be more flexible on migration. |
| “India’s position that a trade deal with Britain must include looser migration controls on Indian migrants is good news for Britain. A free trade deal with India that also made it easier for skilled Indian workers to come to Britain would be win-win for us, and be a real coup by making the UK the first major economy to strike a deal with India,” he said. | “India’s position that a trade deal with Britain must include looser migration controls on Indian migrants is good news for Britain. A free trade deal with India that also made it easier for skilled Indian workers to come to Britain would be win-win for us, and be a real coup by making the UK the first major economy to strike a deal with India,” he said. |
| Brexit supporters told voters with links to Commonwealth countries that leaving the EU would allow an immigration system that was fairer towards people from their countries. | Brexit supporters told voters with links to Commonwealth countries that leaving the EU would allow an immigration system that was fairer towards people from their countries. |
| However, if May is to meet her promise of cutting net migration to the tens of thousands, she will need to reduce migration from across the world. Bowman argued that British people were relaxed about skilled workers and students arriving in Britain, and said the cap had become an “albatross hanging around the government’s neck”. | However, if May is to meet her promise of cutting net migration to the tens of thousands, she will need to reduce migration from across the world. Bowman argued that British people were relaxed about skilled workers and students arriving in Britain, and said the cap had become an “albatross hanging around the government’s neck”. |