India tops the number of students being offered Ph.D. level work visas by the UK under the UK Government’s plan of removing the limit of providing Visas to Indian students.
UK Chancellor Philip Hammond announced on Wednesday the removing of limits to the visas offer saying, “A key pillar of our plan is backing Britain to remain at the forefront of the technology revolution that is transforming our economy. And to support that ambition, from this Autumn we will completely exempt PhD-level roles from the visa caps,” Hammond said in his speech in the House of Commons.
“From Autumn 2019, PhD-level occupations will be exempt from the Tier 2 (General) cap, and at the same time the government will update the immigration rules on 180-day absences so that researchers conducting fieldwork overseas are not penalized if they apply to settle in the UK,” he added in his statement.
The recently recorded data by the UK Home Office reveals that India accounts for the largest number of students under the General category to be offered 545 visas in 2018. The number has also increased by 6% as compared to last year.
“This is fantastic news for Indian researchers who would like to work in the UK, and for UK universities – who thrive on bringing together a diversity of brilliant minds from around the world,” said Vivienne Stern, Director of Universities UK International, the main representative body for UK higher education institutions.
“Many of the UK’s leading researchers, in fields ranging from biomechanics to gender politics, come from India. Outside of Europe, India is the third-largest country of origin for academic staff in the UK,” she said. It was also found that 15.9% of the world’s most researched articles.
“The achievements are made possible as a result of the international community of researchers that work at and with UK institutions,” Stern said.
Earlier only a limited a number of visas are offered, but now the limit has been removed for the new immigration batch comes in.
“We already issue more skilled worker visas to Indian nationals than to the rest of the world combined, and I am delighted to see many Indian students coming to study at our world-class universities,” UK immigration minister Caroline Nokes had said.
“Under the new system, operating from 2021, we will always be open to the brightest and best from India, who wish to come to live and work in the UK,” she said.