Kemi Badenok, Secretary of State for International Trade. File. | | Photo credit: Reuters
UK International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch reiterated that the additional issuance of student visas to India is not part of the planned free trade agreement (FTA). She argued that the FTA was not a deal to negotiate free movement with India.
In a recent interview in England Times, Mr. Badenoch, who was in India last month Sixth round of India-UK FTA talkssaid the UK left the European Union because “we didn’t believe in free movement” and therefore an FTA is not an agreement “negotiating some kind of free movement with India”. added.
Comparing the India-UK FTA to the FTA the UK has already signed with Australia, she said the two countries cannot offer the same kind of mobility due to demographic differences. “You have to make sure that each trade agreement you sign is tailored to a specific country. It will not provide the same kind of mobility that we can offer the country. Times.
In an interview, the International Trade Secretary said he was willing to make concessions on issues such as business liquidity, but intended to give Indians the same kind of deal as Australia, allowing people under the age of 35 to live and work in Australia. He further elaborated that no. 3 years in England.
“And what people in the UK want to do when they travel to Australia will probably be slightly different than what they do when they travel to India,” she added.
This is not the first time Badenoch has spoken out about the issue of student visas in India. Before he visited the country in December 2022 and met with Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, she told England Telegraph ‘Student visas’ are ‘home office matters’ and FTAs are often dragged into non-trade related matters.
The issue also sparked controversy when Home Secretary Suera Braverman expressed concern that Indian students often stay longer than their visas expire. In late November 2022, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled his Young Professional Scheme. Kick off on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas January 9th of this year. The scheme allows up to 3,000 citizens aged between 18 and 30 with a degree to live and work in each other’s countries for two years.
Speaking about the timeline for the trade deal, Badenok said the “Diwali deal” is something she has changed since assuming the role of international trade secretary in September 2022. I don’t think setting a fixed date when everything has to be completed is useless for negotiations because the other side may run out of time,” she said in an interview.
But she remains adamant about finalizing a deal this year, saying, “I think we’ll reach an agreement this year. I don’t know when. I would like to conclude a contract by the end of this year.”
