Indian professionals who move to Britain on inter-company transfers will no longer be eligible for permanent settlement after the government accepted a recommendation to that effect from a key migration committee.
In August, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) of the Home Office had recommended a raft of new measures intended to ensure that British workers and employees are preferred over those from non-EU countries.
Besides recommending that non-EU professionals coming to Britain on inter-company transfers should not have the right to settle here permanently, the MAC also raised the entry bar for non-EU professionals seeking work.
The measures raised a welter of protest from groups
representing non-EU professionals, particularly those from India.
Amit Kapadia, Executive Director of HSMP Forum, said: "We are very concerned about the recommendation to deny those coming on intra-company transfers under Tier 2 the right to settlement (permanent residence)...Such draconian measures will only lead to further exploitation of migrants and would deprive hardworking skilled migrants who are paying their tax.”