UK's new immigration system will benefit Indians

The new immigration system of the UK brings good news for Indian students and professionals in the UK. Priti Patel, Home Secretary, had recently announced that the UK would be shifting to an Australia-style points-based immigration system from 1^st January 2021.

Indian students and professionals in STEM profiles would be able to obtain Permanent Residence faster under the new system. The new system would award points for factors like skills, education, salaries etc.

Immigration Experts believe that the new points-based system would help Indian students in the UK make informed career choices. Indian students will be able to choose courses for shortage occupations. Thus, Indian students would be not only able to find employment faster but also get an adequate salary to qualify for Permanent Residence.

Compared to the UK, the US has a tougher path to Permanent Residence or Green Card. Students who complete their higher education from the US have a separate quota for the H1B Visa. However, long queues for the coveted Green Card might make them wait for years before they can obtain a Green Card. Some Indians have been waiting for the US Green Card for several years now, and the wait does not seem to get any shorter. In contrast, an international student can easily gain Permanent Residence in Canada, Australia or New Zealand in less than a year.

According to the advocacy group, Skilled Immigrants in America, thousands of Indian IT professionals in the US may not get a Green Card in their lifetime. Many of them continue to wait for the Green Card, while many others have opted for Canadian Permanent Residence through the Express Entry route.

Immigration Experts believe that UK’s new immigration system will help attract qualified skilled workers from all over the globe. Such immigrants would be an asset to the UK economy and not a drain on public benefits.

The new immigration system of the UK will treat EU and non-EU citizens in the same manner. Rather than nationality, priority will be given to skills, such as innovators, academics and scientists. Indian workers, especially those in STEM fields, would be able to benefit the most from the new immigration system.

The only cause of worry is the high minimum salary threshold required to qualify for UK immigration. Indian workers would need to have a salary of at least £25,600 (approximately 23.8 lakhs) per annum to qualify for immigration to the UK. Even though the threshold has been lowered from the earlier £30,000, it is still steep for many aspiring immigrants to meet. It would be even tougher for immigrants to meet the salary threshold in fields that are not on the skills list.

Things, however, are looking bright for Indian students. The UK had recently revived its two-year Post-Study Work Permit. The Graduate route would be available to international students from mid-2021. Indian international students would not only be able to work for two years after graduating but with the new immigration system also chart their way to Permanent Residence in the UK.

Y-Axis offers a wide range of Visa and Immigration services as well as products to overseas immigrants including UK Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa, Business Visa for the UK, Study Visa for the UK, Visit Visa for the UK, and Work Visa for the UK.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or  Migrate to the UK, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

If you found this blog engaging, you may also like…

EU migrants need to earn at least £23,000 to work in the UK