subject: Trade Agreement Provides Nri Jobs In Eurozone [print this page] A total of 40,000 Indian nationals would be provided work opportunities in Europe according to a secret trade agreement entered into by the European Union and the Indian government. According to leaked documents, there would be a total of 12,000 jobs available exclusively for Indians in the United Kingdom alone.
The European Union had proposed that 40,000 Indian workers would be admitted into the Eurozone without need for any labor market test as part of the plan to increase export trading with New Delhi. The media outlet that reported this secret agreement was the Daily Mail who found a leaked a copy of the EU/India Free Trade Agreement that is scheduled to be signed within the year.
The EU offer is known as a "Mode 4" system. This would allow Indian companies to bring into the EU temporary workers to assist in its operation. Out of the 40,000 Indians would be allowed to work in Europe, with 12,000 to be in the United Kingdom. This comprises thirty percent of the total allocation even if the UK only comprises twelve percent of the EU's total population.
These 12,000 Indian immigrants would be allowed to live and work in the UK for six months and would be on top of the number of individuals who would be provided visas under the UK's own immigration policies. It is expected that a large number of these trade visa recipients would be IT workers already arriving in large numbers.
The deal is expected to open up India's lucrative export market to EU especially UK business. The negotiations under this agreement were first conducted under Lord Mandelson, former EU Trade Commissioner back in 2007. Afterwards, the discussions were spearheaded by the Business Department behind closed doors.
On the ground though is a different story altogether. The UK has instituted more stringent immigration guidelines but Indian IT workers entering the UK have been increasing in numbers through the "intra-company transfer" route of immigration.
According to the latest figures released by the Migration Advisory Committee, the number of workers entering through the ICT route increased to 29,700 in 2011 compared to 20,000 in 2000. Nearly two thirds of these visas were through third party contractors and they were issued to Indian nationals.
The Intra Company Transfer route or ICT route allows companies to transfer staff from overseas to work in the UK. This route is not counted in the per year ceiling of 21,700 non-EU nationals that enter the United Kingdom. Under current circumstances, this ceiling would be met by April 2012 because of the more stringent guidelines currently in force.
This increased number had raised concerns within the Cameron government, as it promised to limit immigration coming from beyond EU borders. While the main bulk comes through the ICT route, this needs to be balanced with the needs of the business community especially industries seeking highly skilled IT individuals especially from India.
