Potential India-UK deal on deporting illegal migrants

[secret.simon]

Some startling news right at the end of the Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4 a few minutes ago.

Visa deal that opens door to Indian students will allow UK to send back illegal migrants

Agreement could be reached this week, as part of a wider bolstering of relations that aims at securing a mini trade deal

Britain is to allow thousands more Indian students to enrol in UK universities in exchange for India agreeing to take back migrants living in the country illegally, The Telegraph has learned.

London and New Delhi are on the cusp of signing a “migration and mobility partnership”, which is part of a wider move towards bolstering relations that aims at securing a mini trade deal later this year.

Government insiders say the talks are still live and final details are yet to be ironed out, but the deal represents an important step on two key sticking points that have hampered bilateral relations in recent years.

There are hopes that the agreement could be clinched as early as this week, when Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, is in London for multilateral talks with the G7, hosted by Dominic Raab.

India has waged a long campaign pushing Britain for visa liberalisation, particularly for students and professionals, and is also hoping to secure closer investment ties with the UK.

The UK in turn is wrangling to secure greater access for British service providers to India, particularly in the legal sector, and a reduction in 150 per cent tariffs on Scotch whisky.

In 2018, the two nations came close to signing a pact on the return of illegal immigrants from Britain to India, but talks collapsed. India had harboured concerns about a deluge of nationals being returned, amid Britain’s estimate that up to 100,000 Indian migrants were living in the UK illegally.

[vinny]

See also Migration Statistics.

Migration Statistics

[glas195]

Very interesting.
I could not have imagined that there would be these much Indian illegals as they (and east asians) are always branded as the model minority/immigrants.

[JB007]

Some startling news right at the end of the Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4 a few minutes ago.

Visa deal that opens door to Indian students will allow UK to send back illegal migrants

Agreement could be reached this week, as part of a wider bolstering of relations that aims at securing a mini trade deal

Britain is to allow thousands more Indian students to enrol in UK universities in exchange for India agreeing to take back migrants living in the country illegally, The Telegraph has learned.

Thanks for this. The deals have been signed.

"The UK and India have agreed to make it easier to return illegal immigrants to each other's countries - while a new immigration route between the two countries will be opened up for under-30s"

For those under 30s (age 18-30) it appears this will work like the Tier 5 Your Mobilty Scheme that some countries have with the UK?

"Building upon the government's post-Brexit immigration regime, a new "bespoke route" for young professionals from India and the UK will allow 18-30-year-olds to work and live in the other country for up to 24 months. This will be limited to 3,000 people per year."
https://news.sky.com/story/australian-s ... l-12296764

[JB007]

For those under 30s (age 18-30) it appears this will work like the Tier 5 Your Mobilty Scheme that some countries have with the UK?

Tier 5 YOUTH Mobility Scheme

[alterhase58]

Should be interesting to see how many illegal immigrants currently in India will be returned to the UK.

[secret.simon]

It is worth remembering that till first decade of the 2000s, India used to be on the list of countries that had Youth Mobility access to the UK. I know because the person who used to stay in the room I lived in when I moved to the UK was from India on that very visa and had moved out just the week before my arrival.

I think that the idea of returning illegal migrants from the UK to India is essentially that it is a guarantee/enforcement mechanism to ensure that people who do come to the UK from India on the Youth Mobility scheme do not overstay.

It may be narrower than the Youth Mobility visa in that it will likely have the requirement for a degree or degree level education, and may be a lottery as the number per year will be limited to 3000.

Freemovement: The UK-India migration deal

This part below is, I think, the far more significant part of the agreement, given that it is a loophole that can be used by Indians parents of children born in the UK with no legal residence.

Also in Chapter 4 is a provision targeting Indian nationals said to be deliberately making their UK-born children stateless in order to secure them permission to remain. This echoes a clampdown on perceived abuse of the statelessness rules in the New Plan for Immigration.

Should be interesting to see how many illegal immigrants currently in India will be returned to the UK.

Either you got the names of the countries in the wrong order and position in that statement, or you are having a deep, dark thought.

[JB007]

It is worth remembering that till first decade of the 2000s, India used to be on the list of countries that had Youth Mobility access to the UK. I know because the person who used to stay in the room I lived in when I moved to the UK was from India on that very visa and had moved out just the week before my arrival.

I think that the idea of returning illegal migrants from the UK to India is essentially that it is a guarantee/enforcement mechanism to ensure that people who do come to the UK from India on the Youth Mobility scheme do not overstay.

When you first posted this thread, I searched to read more but instead the search brought up articles from 2018 about the same thing, a deal which included India taking back their illegal citizens in the UK but that India wouldn't agree then. There wasn't a YMS visa for Indian nationals at that time and I'm assuming these illegals would have arrived on other visas and overstayed, or arrived illegally? Now, according to the Sky article, India have agreed to make it quicker and easier to take back their illegals in the UK and this new limited time visa has been agreed too.

It may be narrower than the Youth Mobility visa in that it will likely have the requirement for a degree or degree level education, and may be a lottery as the number per year will be limited to 3000.

The article did say that it would be for "young professionals" to the UK or to India. Japan has a lottery for their Youth Mobilty Scheme visa to the UK as the numbers of visas per year are based on the numbers of British citizens wanting to go to their country. Australia seems to have the most visas for the Tier 5 YMS visa.

[secret.simon]

It is worth remembering that till first decade of the 2000s, India used to be on the list of countries that had Youth Mobility access to the UK. I know because the person who used to stay in the room I lived in when I moved to the UK was from India on that very visa and had moved out just the week before my arrival.

I think that the idea of returning illegal migrants from the UK to India is essentially that it is a guarantee/enforcement mechanism to ensure that people who do come to the UK from India on the Youth Mobility scheme do not overstay.

When you first posted this thread, I searched to read more but instead the search brought up articles from 2018 about the same thing, a deal which included India taking back their illegal citizens in the UK but that India wouldn't agree then. There wasn't a YMS visa for Indian nationals at that time and I'm assuming these illegals would have arrived on other visas and overstayed, or arrived illegally? Now, according to the Sky article, India have agreed to make it quicker and easier to take back their illegals in the UK and this new limited time visa has been agreed too.

The pre-2008 pre-PBS non-Tier equivalent of Tier 5 Youth Mobility was the Working Holiday-Maker visa, which had most of the same characteristics as Youth Mobility (such as being limited to people under the age of 30 and being limited to two years). That visa was open to Indians who met the criteria.

[JB007]

Some startling news right at the end of the Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4 a few minutes ago.

Visa deal that opens door to Indian students will allow UK to send back illegal migrants

"In cases where the UK has evidence that an Indian national is unlawfully present in the UK, and is the parent of a minor child born in the UK but whose birth has not been registered with the Indian mission, India will accept a UK birth certificate as evidence for securing an emergency travel document for the child only if the nationality of both the parents and their relationship with the child is conclusively established."

"This deal seems to offer a compromise solution on both these counts i.e., repatriation of Indians residing illegally in the UK thereby addressing London’s overall heightened concerns about illegal migration (not just from India) whereas also offering freer visa regulations for Indian citizens visiting the UK."
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/editorials ... l-migrants



Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

"I am committed to delivering for the British public a fair but firm New Plan for Immigration that will attract the best and brightest talent to UK through our new points-based immigration system, whilst clamping down on those who are abusing the system. This ground-breaking new agreement with India is an important milestone in delivering on this pledge."

"This landmark agreement with our close partners in the government of India will provide new opportunities to thousands of young people in the UK and India seeking to live, work and experience each other’s cultures. This agreement will also ensure that the British government can remove those with no right to be in UK more easily and crackdown on those abusing our system."
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-a ... ation-deal

Details on the agreement and who can have one of these temporary visas.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ed-kingdom