UK may deport Indian professionals

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION? The discriminatory rules don't take our welfare into account, say migrants.

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New Delhi: Thousands of Indian professionals in Britain under the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) visas are now facing deportation.

Most of them have not qualified for extension under the new point based system that was announced in November last year.

According to the new rules, existing HSMP migrants need to re-qualify on the basis of age, salaries and academic qualifications to continue living in the country.

At a high-level meeting earlier this week, immigration minister Liam Bryne promised to 'review and reflect' on the changes in view of the difficulties they have caused.

However, within hours of the assurance to review the changes, it was learnt that several Indian professionals with PhDs and other qualifications have been served deportation orders, asking them to leave voluntarily or face removal to India.

Migrants feel these rules are discriminatory and do not take their welfare into account. Many professionals have received notices to leave the country or face deportation.

In February, thousands of trainee Indian doctors in UK were told that they may have to return home soon as the London High court had upheld new rules abolishing permit-free training for overseas doctors.

The diagnosis was serious, not only for trainee Indian doctors working in the UK but also for the ones seeking training posts.

Voluntary organisations like the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin had initiated legal action against the department of health claiming that a race impact assessment was not carried out while making the new rules.

A letter has been shot off to professionals who do not meet the required qualification level which reads: "If you do not leave the United Kingdom voluntarily, you will be removed to India."