The British government is under pressure to further tighten the immigration rules for intra-company transfers, the route used mainly by Indian IT firms, in the country .In 2008, 29,240 foreign IT workers from non-EU nations were transferred to the UK, according to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies, which got the figures from the Freedom of Information Act.
Also, 83 per cent of total number of IT workers from non-EU nations had come to the UK in 2008 on intracompany transfers. This was double the number (14,255) of staff who entered the UK on intra-company transfers in 2008 to work in all the other professional service sectors, including telecoms, combined .The association said that the Migration Advisory Committee had not totally got rid of the loopholes which allow foreign companies to bring non-EU workers into the UK to work without having to advertise jobs in the UKfirst.The committee last week had recommended that intra-company transfers should not lead to a right to permanent residence ,extend qualifying period with the company overseas from 6 to 12 months and ensure that local pay rates are not undercut by companies.However,the unions and employee associations contend the recommendations are not strong enough,
The association also claimed that the most of the non-EU IT workers entering the UK were from India.
“The irony is that while graduate level IT jobs are being outsourced to India it is now being proposed that it should be easier for Indian IT graduates to work in the UK at a time when there are few of any skill shortages at that level,” the association’s chief executive Ann Swain said.
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