London: Indian professionals are making a last-ditch effort to appeal to the UK government over a new 35,000 pounds salary threshold requirement, which comes into effect from Wednesday.
Thousands of Indian and other nationals from outside the European Union (EU) living and working in Britain on a Tier 2 visa face having to leave or be deported if they earn less than 35,000 pounds a year once the terms of the visa expire.
Earlier, a Tier-2 visa holder could apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK with an annual income of around 21,000 pounds. The new rule comes into effect on April 6 and is likely to affect thousands of Indian skilled professionals.
"This is the country I did my Masters in. Fell in love with the place. Got my first job. Got married and started a family here. Have a job I love. What more could I ask? If I have to leave then it will be devastating. Have to leave friends, a company I love, a place I love," said Abhijit, an advertising operations manager. He is one of many Indians who have joined the 'Stop 35K' campaign group against what they believe are discriminatory changes to the criteria for non-EU nationals applying for "Indefinite Leave to Remain" (ILR) in the UK at the end of a five-year period of living and working in the UK.
The campaign is aimed at a reconsideration of this rule and encouraging the UK Home Office to undertake research into industry-specific thresholds.
Concerned by the move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the issue with British counterpart David Cameron during a meeting on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in the US last week, saying skilled IT professionals from India should not find it difficult to come to work in the UK.
"Cameron promised to take a look at it. He said we do not want to disadvantage bonafide IT companies, but at the same time we would also want to ensure that the UK system is not misused," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup had said.
Kesavan, employed as an audiologist in the UK, said, "I have been working and living in the UK for the past six years.
I came here on a student visa to do my Masters degree after which I started working for NHS (National Health Service) for the past four and half years on a senior position.
"I even own my flat here in London. Because of this 35k rule I might have to leave my job, flat and relocate to a
different country. More importantly I have not used public funds in any form during my stay here so far."
