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U.K. group slams Indian IT firms
Why it is in news?
- A lobbying group, which pushes for greater curbs on Britain’s immigration regime, has accused multinational IT companies, “typically based in India”, of exploiting a “gaping” loophole in Britain’s immigration system, and has called for the system to be overhauled.
Details
- Migration Watch said a small number of multinational IT companies were exploiting a system intended to post senior executives to and from the U.K. to bring “thousands of migrant workers to fulfil contracts with private and public sector organisations”.
- This is known as third-party contracting and usually involves an international IT company, typically based in India, obtaining a contract to deliver a project or support services to a U.K. entity and then staffing it with workers form the company’s home country.
- Tier 2 visa category-Though part of the Tier 2 visa category, intra-company transfers (ICTs) are not subject to a cap, and have over time represented an increasing share of the Tier 2 work visas.
- About 58,000 of 94,000 Tier 2 work permits issued in 2017 were via the ICT route, the group said.
- It accused the companies of undercutting British competitors and “reducing” opportunities for British IT professionals to work and develop skills.
- Britain’s immigration regime has become an increasingly contentious area: while those on the Right have pressed for tougher restrictions, industry and others have expressed concerns that even the existing system could threaten Britain’s ability to remain open to business and talent.
Source
The Hindu