ASIA PACIFIC
APAC IMMIGRATION UPDATE
Countries around the world are adapting their immigration regulations to promote international trade and respond to global events. Nowhere is this truer than in the Asia Pacific region.
F
ollowing the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May has undertaken a
series of trade missions to strengthen links with countries beyond Europe. During Mrs May’s three-day visit
to India in November, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, renewed pressure for a more liberal UK visa regime for Indian students and for skilled workers – particularly in the IT sector – who face a higher salary threshold to qualify under the Tier 2 visa system for non-EU workers. In response, Mrs May announced
a speedier system for high-net-worth individuals and visiting businesspeople, but made no concessions on eligibility criteria. However, on the last day of the visit, the UK
offered a deal that could see more visas for Indians in return for increased cooperation in taking back migrants who overstayed their permission to remain. Mrs May said in a statement that both
nations agreed to establish a strategic dialogue on home-affairs issues covering visas, returns and organised crime. “As part of this, the UK will consider
further improvements to our visa offer if, at the same time, we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain in the UK,” she said. A joint statement from the two leaders
said, “Both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation by implementing an expedited process for verifying the nationality and issuing travel documents.”
The statement said that changes to speed
up visa applications meant that India would have “one of the best UK visa services of any country in the world, with more application points than anywhere else, and the only place where you can get a same-day visa”. It added, “The two Prime Ministers
acknowledged the valuable contributions of the 1.5 million-strong Indian diaspora to British society and their role in furthering bilateral relations. “To this end, both parties agreed that
visa regimes need to be as simple and efficient as possible for students, businesses, professionals, diplomats and officials and other travellers, including facilitating short- term mobility of skilled personnel between the two countries.” Announcing the launch of a biannual
UK-India dialogue on home-affairs issues, the statement said, “The Prime Ministers expect this dialogue to make progress on key issues of mutual concern, including opportunities to make the visa system simpler and more efficient, and steps to improve the integrity of border and immigration systems.”
A ‘raw deal’ compared with China However, Lord Bilimoria, founder of the Cobra beer company, told the BBC that Indians would still be getting a raw deal on visas compared with the one the UK extended to China last year, through which Chinese visitors can now obtain a two-year multiple-entry visa for less than £100.
32 | Re:locate | Winter 2016/17
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