UK stricter visa rules to affect Asians

The UK immigration department’s new rules have come into effect from 6th April 2011 onwards.

Indian professionals to be hit adversely—
These new UK immigration rules are going to spell doom for immigrants in the UK who had used the UK Tier 1 and UK Tier 2 visa route to gain entry into the UK. This is especially applicable to immigrants hailing from non-EU (European Union) nations including India.

According to Amit Kapadia, executive director of HSMP (Highly Skilled Migrant Programme), a leading campaigning body in the UK, several Indian professionals will bear the brunt of new UK immigration rules. This is resulting in an uneasy and stressful situation for them.

According to the HSMP, the retrospective changes contradict the recommendations made by the UK’s MAC (Migration Advisory Committee).

 The forum maintained that it had urged the UK immigration minister Damian Green for a second thought on such changes before any final implementation. However, the UK government showed no concerns, whatsoever, for immigrants hailing from non-EU nations wanting to come to the UK, the forum added.

The new changed UK immigration rules are part of the efforts of the UK government to considerably bring down the UK immigration levels by targeting immigration from non-EU nations.

Its being feared that among the most affected by such changes in the UK immigration rules will be the Indian professionals.

Several UK immigration changes will restrict immigrants with professional qualifications—

•    It may be worth mentioned that the UK government had already announced an annual UK immigration cap which means restricting the total number of professionals to be allowed entry into the UK has been limited to around 20,000.

•    In addition, the total number of highly skilled professionals to be allowed into the UK annually from the world over has also been reduced to a mere 1,000. This means closing the doors for highly skilled professionals wanting to come to the UK under the UK Tier 1 visa route.

•    Tougher UK immigration rules for settlement of immigrants in the UK and several new obstacles for immigrants caught abusing even the minor traffic rules.