Karnataka CM asks UK PM to intervene in new visa norms

The Dollar Business Bureau

Referring to the issue in granting visas by British government, the CM of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, told UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May that India’s skilled tech workers in the UK must be seen as a trade priority rather than an issue of immigrationduring her one-day visit to Bengaluru.

“The movement of skilled tech workers from India should be seen as a trade priority rather than an immigration issue. Temporary placement of highly-skilled individuals in the UK provides a significant economic boost while having a negligible impact on net migration,” Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday.

Recently, the UK Home Office announced new visa rules that would make it mandatory for IT workers migrating to Britain, under the category of Tier 2 intra-company transfer to have a salary of 30,000 British pounds as against the existing 20,800 pounds.

The Chief Minister asked Theresa May to look into the matter in facilitating free movement of tech workers from India to UK.

Siddaramaiah further said that nearly 15% of UK firms in India are based in the state of Karnataka and employ around 23,000 people in the sectors of ICT, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, health and life science.

He also sought investments from UK-based companies in the renewable energy sector and for developing smart cities.

“The strength of UK’s innovation and research and the implementation capability of Karnataka combined can help in forging a unique relationship in the coming days,” Siddaramaiah stated.