The UK and India signed the “Migration and Mobility Partnership” on Tuesday 4 May 2021 as a way of expanding economic cooperation in the field of labour and employment between the two countries.
One key feature of the Partnership is the introduction of the new Young Professionals Scheme. Under the Young Professionals Scheme, up to 3,000 Indian and British nationals aged between 18 and 30 will be able to work and live in each other’s country for up to two years. It is hoped that this will address the complaints raised by New Delhi around the lack of employment opportunities available after Indian nationals complete their studies in the UK.
The closest comparable visa route currently available is the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS). This allows 18 – 30 year olds from certain countries (currently Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, San Marino and Taiwan) to come to the UK to live and work for up to 2years. Like the YMS, applicants under the Young Professionals Scheme will not require employer sponsorship to access the scheme, individuals will only be able to use the Young Professionals Scheme once, and it will not lead to settlement.
However, this new visa route is more restrictive than the Youth Mobility option. It requires applicants to be “professionals”, which will require some form of degree or comparable level of professional experience. In addition, the cap on applications is much lower than the current Youth Mobility arrangements; under the Young Professionals Scheme, only 3,000 successful applications will be permitted each year. In contrast, under the YMS there are 30,000 places available for eligible Australian nationals and 13,000 available for eligible New Zealand nationals.
In addition, the impact of the Young Professionals Scheme is likely to be somewhat overshadowed by the new Graduate visa route, which opens on Thursday 1 July 2021. This will allow eligible graduates of all nationalities to work or look for work after their studies for a maximum period of two years (or three years for Doctoral students).
Having said that, a further route that allows eligible Indian nationals to come and work in the UK, will no doubt reassure many employers that there will be a pool of young graduate talent available to them without necessarily committing the time and expense of obtaining a sponsor licence or meeting the burden of ongoing compliance as a registered sponsor. For some sectors who employ high numbers of Indian nationals, or for businesses looking to expand from India to the UK, this may well prove a welcome addition to the visa options available.
However, the addition of this further visa route is perhaps a sign of things to come; of the further fragmentation of the immigration routes on offer as the UK starts to make bespoke agreements with individual countries, potentially heralding the start of a new era in immigration law where employers, individuals and their advisers alike are required to navigate a bewildering array of potential visa options post-Brexit. Time will tell.
If you would like to discuss the needs of your business and compliance with your immigration obligations, or your specific personal circumstances, please get in touch with a member of the Business Immigration Team.
