May offers no clarity about Indian IT workers in UK’s 21,700 skilled migrants cap
November 24th, 2010 - 7:11 pm ICT by ANILondon, Nov 24 (ANI): UK Home Secretary Theresa May confirmed plans to cut a number of overseas student numbers today as she unveiled a headline figure of 21,700 for the annual cap on skilled migrants from outside Europe starting from April, but did not discuss about thousands of Indian IT workers who come in as ‘intra-company transfers’.
May claimed that this represented a 20 percent cut in the number of highly skilled migrants from outside the EU compared with 2009, but she left out of the equation a further 22,000 mainly Indian IT workers who come in as ‘intra-company transfers’.
New restrictions would reportedly be placed on these staff, employed by multinational companies, including a 12-month limit on those earning less than 40,000 pounds a year. This is expected to affect 50 percent who came through this route last year, but the Home Office said it could not put a figure on the impact of the new regime on future numbers. Unions have expressed anger that the package would do little to benefit the large pool of unemployed British IT graduates, the Guardian reports.
May also confirmed plans to curb up to 120,000 international students who come to Britain each year in order to restrict visas to those on degree-level courses only.
However, academics and students warned that closing down student visas for those on “below-degree” courses, about 40 percent of the annual total, would worsen the finances of further education and ultimately mean that British students would “have to pay even more for a university degree”.
The paper quoted John Mountford, international director of the Association of Colleges, as saying that restricting student numbers in this way would harm the UK economy and reputation as these overseas students subsidised UK universities and UK students.
More than 300,000 overseas students study in Britain each year and ministers said the plan to give visas only for degree-level courses would mean up to 40 percent, or as many 120,000 students a year, being barred entry to the country. (ANI)
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Tags: association of colleges, british students, degree courses, degree level courses, guardian reports, international director, intra company, mountford, multinational companies, overseas students, skilled migrants, student numbers, student visas, students study, study in britain, theresa may, uk economy, uk home secretary, uk students, uk universities