Hundreds of Indian doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and other professionals have taken the UK Government to court for denying them the right to live and work in Britain. Converging under the banner of ‘Highly Skilled Migrants’ group, they protested the unjustified refusal by the UK Home Office for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in Britain. Their last protest was in February this year. Indian engineers, IT professionals, doctors and teachers are among 6,080 skilled workers holding a UK job offer were denied visas to the UK since December 2017, according to a data released recently. This data indicates that Indians are likely to be the hardest hit by the UK’s annual visa cap. The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) acquired the figures via a Freedom of Information (FOI) to the UK Home Office to highlight the “scale of the problem” being created due to the British government’s annual immigration cap for skilled professionals hired by UK-based companies from outside the European Union (EU). The latest UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures record Indians as the largest chunk of skilled work visas granted (57 per cent) to nationals from outside the EU, indicating that Indians are likely to be the hardest hit by the visa cap. Meanwhile, the UK Home Office rebutted, stating that while it recognises the contribution of international professionals, it is committed to ensuring that under the country’s immigration system, employers give preference to the UK resident labour market before recruiting from overseas. The situation today is that the demand for entry into the UK far exceeds the monthly available allocation of Tier 2 (General) places, hence priority is given to applicants filling a shortage or PhD-level occupations.
Science, engineering and technology are fields that benefit from mobility of talent and collaboration across borders including between India and the UK. The current immigration system will greatly hamper this.
Of the 6,080 visa refusals under the Tier 2 category between December 2017 and March 2018, more than 50% (3,500) were for engineering, IT, technology, teaching and medical roles. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association Council (BMA), called for a more flexible immigration system since doctors are desperately needed to fill the vacancies in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS). In April this year at least 100 Indian doctors were denied visas after being recruited by the NHS due to the Tier 2 monthly quota being over-subscribed. In other fields too there is a felt need for overseas professionals for the growth and development of the UK economy. This visa cap will have serious consequences claim experts.