London: There is good news for Indian immigrants wanting to settle down in European countries.
According to The Sun, a secret agreement has been reached between the Indian government and the European Union that will open the employment door to an unlimited number of Indian immigrants and foreign specialists, especially in Britain.
Under the deal being drawn up by Brussels, skilled Indian IT workers, engineers and managers can be transferred to the UK and other EU nations. Western firms gain access to India in exchange. Indian workers would be granted three-year visas to the UK, but not permanent citizenship.
Think-tank Migrationwatch UK on October 25 night urged the government to “come clean” on the deal, which is set to be signed next summer.
Migrationwatch chief Sir Andrew Green was quoted as saying: “There is no point in a limit on economic migration if specialists from India are excluded by a separate agreement.”
The David Cameron government is insisting that the deal would be worth hundreds of millions of pounds in extra business to British firms.
A spokesman said: “The EU India Free Trade Agreement will benefit businesses trading with India. We will ensure any commitments will be consistent with the government’s commitment to reduce net migration.”
It may be recalled that Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to cut migration from more than 200,000 a year to “tens of thousands.”
But Home Secretary Theresa May’s plans for a cap have sparked a feud with Lib Dem and Tory Ministers, with opposition to it led by Business Secretary Vince Cable.
