Focus On UK Visas For Indians As Tory Leadership Contest Enters Last Leg
London:
As the Conservative Party leadership race heats up, immigration and visa policies for Indians have become central topics of debate. The two leading candidates, Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, have focused on reducing immigration, particularly targeting visas for Indian nationals.
During the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Jenrick, a former immigration minister, stated that India should face stricter visa regulations unless it agrees to repatriate nationals residing illegally in the UK. Jenrick highlighted that while 250,000 visas were granted to Indian nationals last year, an estimated 100,000 Indians are living in the UK illegally. He urged the government to impose severe restrictions on visas and foreign aid to countries that fail to repatriate illegal residents.
His rival, Kemi Badenoch, shadow housing secretary, has similarly voiced concerns. Badenoch referenced past unrest linked to Indian nationals in the UK, particularly citing cultural disputes brought from India, such as the 2022 clashes in Leicester following an India-Pakistan cricket match. She stressed the need for new immigrants to leave their cultural differences behind upon settling in the UK.
Both candidates are vying for leadership as they prepare for the Conservative Party election, set to conclude on November 2, 2024