“Whenever there is an Indian citizen abroad we strongly encourage legal migration. We'll expect the UK side to show demonstrable action on it," MEA spokesperson Arindam Mukherjee said.
Earlier this week, the UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman claimed that the Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) with India had not "worked very well". During an interview with ‘The Spectator’, Braverman branded Indians as the “largest group of people who overstay" their visas in the UK.
Braverman, the Indian-origin minister who took charge at the Home Office last month, also commented she had "concerns" over the FTA with India fearing what she termed as an “open borders" migration policy. “I have concerns about having an open borders migration policy with India because I don’t think that’s what people voted for with Brexit," Braverman told the British weekly news magazine.
However, countering the statement, the India High Commission said on Thursday that India had initiated action on all cases raised with it under the agreement.
“As part of our wider discussions under Migration and Mobility, the government of India is committed to work with the government of UK to facilitate the return of Indian citizens who have overstayed their visa period here in the UK," the High Commission of India statement said.
“As per data shared with the Home Office, as on date, action has been initiated on all of the cases referred to the High Commission. Further, UK has also undertaken to fulfill certain commitments as part of the Migration and Mobility Protocol, on which we await demonstrable progress," it said.
(With inputs from agencies)
