New UK Visa rules will effect Indians

90% of UK visa granted to Indians are for IT workers and the new immigration rules will make an impact among the IT Companies particularly those using the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa.

Under the new visa rules announced by the UK Home Office, anyone applying after November 24 under the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category would be required to meet a higher salary threshold requirement of 30,000 pounds from the earlier limit of 20,800 pounds.

However, it would be in India’s best interest to avoid further brain drain of young intelligent minds out of India. In fact, the new British immigration rules will ensure that fine Indian brains, after qualifying in British universities will return to India to contribute to making India great.

Nasscom does recognize that these are changes the UK government has been committed to for some months, and their implementation is not a huge surprise. However, it is important to note that our fast-growing and high-value tech sectors rely upon an effective immigration policy that attracts high-skilled workers and minimizes barriers to the flow of talented people between our two countries,” the industry lobby said in a release.

“Indian IT companies play a key role in driving the UK’s growth and prosperity by significantly enhancing productivity and global competitiveness of British businesses, contributing to the overall growth and job creation of the UK economy,” it said.

Since 2011, visa policies have created a hostile feeling in the Indian student community towards Britain. Until now the UK has been considered the most desirable study destination, but now other countries (US, Canada, and Australia) offer more competitive visa and work experience options.”