‘Visa overstay’ issue dogs India-UK ties

India accounts for the largest number of individuals in the UK illegally, Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office has said.

The problem of “visa overstayers” was highlighted by the department in its submission to a British parliamentary committee inquiry into post-Brexit relations with India.

Its highlighting of overstayers is significant, suggesting that there is little sign of change of tone on an issue that has overshadowed the bilateral relationship.

It came to a head earlier this year when Liam Fox, Britain’s Trade Secretary, linked the decision not to include Indians in a relaxation of student visa documentation requirements to cooperation between the two countries on the return of illegal migrants, including the failure of India to sign an MoU with the UK on the issue during Modi’s visit earlier this year. However, Indian High Commissioner YK Sinha questioned Britain’s focus and stance on overstayers. “I am sure there are many (overstayers), but where did this figure of 100,000 come from?” he said in June.

Key impediments

In its submission to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry, thinktank Chatham House pointed to Britain’s visa regime for Indians as one of the key impediments to its relationship and highlighted Britain’s emphasis on overstayers.

It was “unclear’ how Britain had derived its assessment that 100,000 Indians needed to be repatriated for overstaying their visas it said, noting the figure had recently been lowered to 75,000.

“Rather than providing easier access to Indians, the UK has threatened to expel many existing immigrants. Combined, this gives the impression that the UK is becoming more insular and hostile to foreigners. If the “Global Britain” strategy is an attempt to demonstrate that this is not the case, it is unlikely to be successful in India given the evidence to the contrary.”

In its submission, the UK India Business Council also warned that Britain’s stance on immigration had been characterised in India as a “directly hostile message” that suggested Indian citizens were not welcome to the UK any more. It pointed to the decision to exclude India from the relaxation of student visa process which it warned was a step in the wrong direction.

It called for India to be included in the list of countries with reduced student visa application procedures, and the re-introduction of the ability to work for two years after graduation.

Nasscom’s caution

A restrictive immigration system that limited opportunities for global talent could hit Britain’s economic growth and productivity, Nasscom warned. The body which represents India’s IT industry pointed to the need to treat the movement of highly-skilled workers who came to the UK on a short- term basis under the intra-company transfer scheme needed to be treated as a trade policy and not an immigration issue.

The movement of such workers had been crucial in driving Britain’s competitive advantage, the group said in its written submission, adding that there was little evidence to suggest they had any negative impact on wages or employment prospects for domestic workers.

Nasscom urged the British government to avoid further tightening the rules around tier-II visas and to review the current (£120,000 a year) threshold for workers to stay in the country for more than five years.

More visa centres

The Royal Commonwealth Society reiterated its call for Indian visitors to be given similar conditions to Chinese tourists who were able to get a two-year multiple entry visa at nearly 75 per cent lower cost than others. “In recent years the UK appears to have neglected the India relationship in favour of fostering better relations with China.”

The immigration issue had caused “seriously ill feeling” in India towards Britain, warned crossbench member of the House of Lords Karan Bilimoria.

However, on the issue of visas, the Foreign Office submission highlighted what it saw as key achievements on visas to Indian nationals. These included Britain having more visa centres in India than any other country in the world, Britain issuing more skilled worker visas to India than all other countries combined, and the fact that 90 per cent of Indian nationals who applied for a visa being successful.

The “Global Britain and India’ inquiry, which is looking at opportunities for cooperation with India beyond Brexit, took written evidence till late September and has been holding evidence sessions this month. Foreign Office Minister Mark Field is expected to give evidence later this month.

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