Rishi Sunak gives nod to 3,000 UK visas for Indians
Newly elected British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has approved nearly 3,000 visas for young professionals from India to live and work in the United Kingdom (UK) every year. In a statement, the UK Prime Minister's Office said: "I am pleased that even more of India's brightest young people will now have the opportunity to experience all that life in the UK has to offer."
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According to the UK government, India becomes the first visa-national nation to profit from such a scheme, emphasizing the power of the UK-India mobility and migration partnership agreed upon in 2021. The information came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sunak met at Tuesday's 17th edition of the G20 Summit. This was their first meeting since Sunak became the first Indian-origin British PM.
Photo: Rishi Sunak and Narendra Modi at G20 Summit
Live, work for up to two years in UK: Sunak
PM Sunak also spoke on the topic that he is aware of the value of the UK's historical and cultural ties with India as well. "Today the UK-India Young Professionals Scheme was confirmed, offering 3,000 places to 18-30-year-old degree-educated Indian nationals to come to the UK to live and work for up to two years," the UK PM's Office tweeted.
Tweet: Official statement from UK PM's office
Indian students' preferred destination is UK
As per recent statistics, over 98,000 Indian students came to the UK to study in 2021-- a 90% increase compared to the previous year. Furthermore, the new post-study Graduate Route allows graduates to stay back for 2-3 years after studies in Britain. In 2021, nearly 10,000 Indians applied to UK universities, up from 7,640 the previous year, increasing by 30%.
UK-India Young Professionals Scheme
Britain is offering 3,000 visas annually under the new UK-India Young Professionals Scheme. These visas would allow degree-educated Indian nationals, aged between 18 and 30 years, to come to Britain to live and work for up to two years.
India and UK's new trade deal
Britain is currently negotiating with India over a new trade deal- if agreed, it will be the first of its kind India has made with a European nation. This trade deal will build on the India-UK trading relationship, which is currently worth £24 billion, and will permit the UK to seize the possibilities offered by India's expanding economy.
