According to Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch, Britain will discuss short-term business visas as part of negotiations for a free trade agreement with India, but any agreement will not guarantee broader immigration commitments or Britain’s labor market access for Indian workers.
In January last year, when Britain and India began trade negotiations, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasized not sacrificing quality for speed in those talks. The interior minister, Suella Braverman, created controversy last year when she made a remark in trade talks about the potential influence of the Indian migrants. She expressed concerns about the “open borders migration policy with India and those who overstay visas.
In response to a question on how the government ensures it “speaks with a single voice on migration and mobility in relation to a UK-India trade agreement” and avoids “disruptive political off-stage noises,” Badenoch outlined Britain’s position.
On Thursday, Badenoch said in a written response to lawmakers that “An FTA with India will not contain commitments on immigration or provide access to the UK domestic labour market.” “There will also be no agreement to anything which undermines the principles or functioning of the UK’s points-based immigration system, or which undermines the UK’s ability to control its own border.”
She added that the negotiations would discuss business mobility, “which would make it easier for highly skilled professionals to deliver services in each other’s markets on a short-term and temporary basis.”
She added that, throughout the negotiations, another topic of discussion with regulators was the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. Badenoch has already warned that the deal might not be the ideal fit for the service industry.
On negotiations, she said she would update lawmakers “in due course,” but she did not mention when the negotiations, which have not moved quickly this year, would be finished.
