India’s new High Commissioner in the U.K. has urged both governments to work together to tackle the issue of visas for students and IT professionals, and that Brexit presented opportunities to Indian companies.
Speaking on Monday evening, ahead of Prime Minster Theresa May’s Brexit speech, Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, who was appointed as High Commissioner last year, pointed to the need to work on both areas, at a time of “very good economic engagement between the two countries”, which were set to be further enhanced following Ms. May’s visit to India last November.
“Of course, Brexit is a challenge but I see it more as an opportunity. Indian companies and Indian businesses are looking forward to engaging more closely with their British counterparts,” he told the gathering of Indian and U.K. media at India House here.
However, he highlighted the falling number of Indian students in the U.K. “In the field of education, we have a bit of a problem,” he said, contrasting the situation with other countries, including the U.S., Australia, Germany and France. “They are actively going on to campuses in India and trying to attract students there,” he said.
Attracting students
“There is something going wrong here because the U.K. has obviously been the first preference for Indian students. We need to see how we can ensure that the U.K. gets or attracts good students from India. Indian students are doing extremely well wherever they go. We need to sort out the issue of visas and this is where both governments are talking and engaging with each other.”
Mr. Sinha also highlighted the position of Indian IT professionals. “In Europe, the U.K. is again our first port of call and I think for us it’s very important our IT professionals can come here and go back. They contribute immensely not only to the local economy, but the global economy, which is what they are doing in Silicon Valley and the rest of the world. It’s very important that both countries engage in a manner beneficial for both India and the U.K.”
Fall in student numbers
The High Commissioner’s comments come as figures last week showed a dramatic fall in the number of students from India. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the numbers fell to 16,745 in 2015-16 from 29,900 in 2011-12.
While there is no official cap on international students, a combination of a crackdown on education institutions, and a tightening of the visa regime are thought to blame.
Critics are also concerned that the inclusion of students in the migrant numbers, although they are only temporary visitors, has meant they have been used to help meet government migration targets.
