September 30th, 2024 at 08:49 am

UK Cracks Down on Illegal Migration: Jenrick Eyes Stricter Visa Policies for Indians

One candidate for the Conservative leadership, Robert Jenrick, has suggested imposing severe visa requirements on nations that turn away undocumented immigrants. His strategy, which focuses on India, may have an impact on thousands of Indian citizens who are looking to travel, work, or study in the UK.

Robert Jenrick, a prominent contender to replace Rishi Sunak as head of the Conservative Party, has suggested enforcing stringent visa prohibitions on nations that decline to repatriate their nationals who are residing in the UK without authorization. His plan notably targets Vietnam and India, given that the UK is facing an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants.

Jenrick pointed out that the UK gave 250,000 visas to Indian citizens for travel, education, and employment in 2023 alone. He did, however, draw attention to the 100,000 or so Indians who are now living in the UK illegally. Even though there are a lot of illegal residents, deportation attempts have been sluggish, with “returns stuck in the hundreds”.

Could Indian nationals be Affected by Visa Bans?

Concerns are raised concerning the future of Indian national visas by Jenrick’s approach. Among the things he suggests are:

• Severe visa limitations for nations that don’t cooperate in the return of undocumented immigrants.
• Aid reductions to nations that receive aid from the UK but do not return their citizens who are in the country unlawfully.
• Jenrick said, “It’s time to play hardball,” implying a possible change in the UK’s visa regulations for Indian nationals.

UK-India Deportation Agreement Falls Short

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was formed in 2021 between the United Kingdom and India to expedite the deportation of Indian nationals living abroad. The outcomes, nevertheless, have not been impressive. Just 22,807 illegal immigrants were expelled from the UK in 2023; 3,439 Indian citizens, or 15% of the total, were among them.

Jenrick thinks this is not enough, and if his ideas are implemented, he intends to increase the total number of deportations to more than 100,000 annually.

More Wide-ranging Effects on Immigration Law

Though India is a primary focus, Jenrick also suggests categorizing other nations as “safe countries,” such as Vietnam, Turkey, and Brazil. This classification would enable the UK to expedite the repatriation of migrants from these countries, akin to an agreement that is currently in effect with Albania.

Additionally, he supports the UK’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to expedite deportations, especially those involving foreign criminals. This might cause people to be removed from safe nations—like India—more quickly, which would put more strain on those nations’ visa processes.

Effects on Students and Indian Workers

A sizable fraction of skilled workers and students in the UK are Indian nationals. If Jenrick’s proposal is approved, Indian people seeking work, study, or visitation visas would encounter stricter requirements—or possibly outright bans—depending on how the UK government feels about repatriation in the future.

Jenrick emphasized that the economy and communities of the United Kingdom are under “intolerable pressure” from illegal migration, which is driving up expenses for taxpayers.

Will It Be Possible to Ban Visas?

Though audacious, Jenrick’s ideas have not yet been made official. His views on immigration and visa limits will probably be a major factor in determining how well-liked he is among Conservative Party members as the leadership contest progresses.

If he is successful, thousands of applicants may not be able to enter the UK because of the drastic changes his ideas would bring about in the way visas are granted to citizens of nations like India. Given that Indians make up one of the major immigrant groups in the UK, the result of this leadership contest may have a significant impact on future immigration laws.