On January 9, 2023, the Indian governments and the United Kingdom commemorated Pravasi Bharatiya Divas by creating the Young Professionals Scheme, which allows up to 3,000 degree-holding people aged 18 to 30 to work and live in each other’s nations for two years. The plan, unveiled at the G20 meeting in Bali in November, is the subject of the India-UK Migration and Mobility Memorandum of Understanding, which was agreed upon in May 2021.
The Young Professionals Program would presumably be “up and running in March,” according to High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami. He stressed that various processes must be finished before a March opening can be verified. Successful applicants can look for employment, academic, or cultural possibilities in their host nation or visit for two years. The system allows for up to 3,000 people to switch visas every year. Candidates do not need a lined-up job when they qualify for the visa.
The advantages of the Young Professionals Program
The Young Professionals Program provides young Indians and Britons a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain foreign experience and broaden their cultural views. It also can deepen relations between the two nations by encouraging cultural interchange and professional networking.
Trade Talks between India and the United Kingdom
The Young Professionals Program is being launched while the two nations continue to negotiate a free trade deal, which has been hindered by difficulties, including the cross-border movement of people. As part of the trade discussions, the UK has also sought more freedom in transferring skilled individuals and academics from India to the UK.
The evolution of the India-UK Migration and mobility arrangement
The India-UK Migration and Mobility Agreement, signed in May 2021, aims to solve various concerns concerning the migration of individuals between the two nations. One deal component attempts to make it easier for illegal migrants to depart to their home nations. However, discussions for a free trade deal between the two nations, which the governments had planned to finalise by Deepavali last year, have been delayed by difficulties relating to the cross-border movement of people.
According to the Indian Express, Suella Braverman, the UK Home Secretary, said that Indians constitute the greatest category of visa overstayers in the UK and that the arrangement with India has “not particularly functioned very well”. In return, the Indian High Commission in London noted that it has dealt with every case of visa overstaying given to it by UK agencies and that the Indian government is looking for “demonstrable progress” on several of the UK’s promises under the agreement.
Trade talks move forward
The sixth session of India-UK trade talks was held in New Delhi in December, with a seventh round scheduled for “within the upcoming month,” according to the High Commissioner. While development has been continuous, the High Commissioner refused to explain the present sticking issues, noting that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
