British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed his help for extra expert visas for Indians as a part of the efforts to expedite the bold free commerce settlement (FTA) being negotiated between the 2 international locations. Speaking to reporters from the UK on the prime ministerial flight to Ahmedabad on Wednesday night, Johnson acknowledged a massive shortage of experts in IT and programming sectors and said Britain needed “hundreds of thousands” of workers with in-demand skills.
He was responding to questions about visas and free movement of people, which has been a key demand of the Indian side to secure an FTA with the UK. I have always been in favor of people coming to this country,” Johnson was quoted as saying by The Independent newspaper. “We have a huge shortage in the UK, at least not in IT and programming specialists. We are hundreds of thousands short in our economy. We need a professional approach, but it has to be controlled,” he said.
According to the latest figures from the UK Home Office, Indian professionals continue to hold the largest number of UK skilled work visas – with 67,839 issued last year, up 14 per cent from 2019. “Both countries have set out an intention to reach an agreement by the end of this year. It’s not a fixed deadline, we won’t rush it. We would take as long as it takes to reach a good deal for both countries,” his official spokesperson at 10 Downing Street stated on the eve of his go-to.
