Indian Officials Warn UK, Say It Will Bear The Consequences Of Its Visa Policy Against India

The United Kingdon (UK), which has excluded Indian students from a new list of countries considered low risk in order to facilitate an easier visa application process, will have to bear the consequences of its decision, an Indian High Commission official has said, according to the Times of India.

The official was responding to a remark made by the UK's international trade secretary Liam Fox. Talking to the media at the launch of the first 'UK-India Week', Fox said India was excluded from the list because it refused to sign an agreement promising to facilitate the return of illegal Indian immigrants in the UK.

"It's up to the British government to decide what kind of visas they want to give and whether they want closer ties with India. I feel the signals they are sending our way are wrong but whether they bring lasting damage to our relations is a long-term perspective,” the Indian official said, responding to Fox’s remark.

It's for them to decide if they want to link this to the MoU, but if they do, they will have to bear the consequences. I am not confident this is going to turn out well," the official was quoted by the Times of India as saying.

According to Britain, there are 100,000 illegal Indian immigrants in the UK. The Indian government, however, puts the figure at 2,000.

In changes to its immigration policy, the UK has announced a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students from around 25 countries. While China, Bahrain and Serbia were added to the list, India was excluded.

Indian-origin entrepreneur and President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs Lord Karan Bilimoria has said that the move another example of Britain's "economically illiterate and hostile attitude to immigration".