On 4 May,2022, UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and Subrahmanyam Jai Shankar, Indian Foreign Minister, took India and United Kingdom’s relations to the next level by signing a groundbreaking deal, titled “UK-India Migration and Mobility partnership”.
The UK-India Migration and Mobility partnership benefits both the countries as it enables the young professionals from UK as well as India to reside and work in each other’s countries for a two-year long period, with ease. Moreover, this deal is essential for an extensive joint UK-India struggle to handle organized migration crime and fraud.
The Young Professionals’ scheme would permit up to 3,000 Indian nationals per year between 18 and 30 years to come to the UK to live and work for up to two years. Likewise, 3,000 UK nationals a year will be able to do the same in India.
Earlier, Indians were issued visitor visas to enter the UK, as a visitor or for any other purpose for less than six months only. Hence, this scheme is supposed to be revolutionary as it involves cross- country exchange of students, academics and researchers for a period of 24 months.
This scheme would attract crème de la crème professionals from India to study, live and get employed in UK. Also, UK-India Migration and Mobility partnership acts as a safeguard for the Indian nationals residing in the UK lawfully. This deal could also prove beneficial in aiding the young professionals from both the countries to understand the culture of UK as well as India.
India would be the first visa national country (nations which expect visas to visit the UK) to enjoy the benefits of this professional and cultural trade program.
The applicants of the Young Professionals scheme should be 18-30-year-olds.
They will have to hold a diploma or degree equivalent to at least three years of higher education and should be able to express themselves in the language of the host country. It is also possible that the visa could require sponsorship or a job offer from a named employer, however these prerequisites have not been finalised yet.
Both the nations will permit the stay and entry of nationals of the other country. The law grants work placements and vocational preparations, if prerequisites of the law are met.
The UK will encourage Indian nationals to continue to work in the UK after completing their education by providing flexible work visas under the graduate scheme.
Moreover, UK’s new points-based immigration framework, evaluates candidates in light of their abilities and talents as opposed to where they are from.
According to the valid immigration laws and regulations, the respective nations will offer pupils of each other’s countries with a long-term visa which allows them to stay for the duration of their studies.
As per the most recent statistics, about 53,000 Indian students came to UK to study in the previous year. About 1/4th of all international students in the UK are from India. The new post-study Graduate Route – offering suitable graduates 2-3 years to stay back after studies in the UK – will open for applications on 1 July 2021 giving an opportunity to Indians to get experience and build careers in the UK.
As per UK Home Secretary, Priti Patel, this deal is an important breakthrough in delivering on the commitment of the UK government to create an immigration system that provides distinct opportunities to the brightest and finest talent from India and around the globe to come to the UK for education, employment and residing purposes.
Similarly, Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India elucidated that the revolutionary Migration and Mobility Partnership will create new prospects for young Indian professionals in the UK whilst also improving collaboration to ensure the system supports honest workers and students. He also emphasized the fact that the numbers of UK and Indian nationals going to each other’s countries would increase significantly due to the post-study Graduate Route and Young Professionals scheme.
Indian student numbers to the UK are growing fast, and nearly half of all UK skilled work visas go to Indian professionals – contributing significantly to shared prosperity and mutual understanding.
In conclusion, under the UK-India Migration and Mobility partnership, a new visa scheme or the young professionals’ scheme has come into light. It offers the youth of India as well as UK to enjoy stay, work and education in one another’s country for a 24-month period, thus establishing a positive bilateral relationship between India and UK.