London: Three months after winning their appeal in the High Court, thousands of highly-skilled migrants from India can now return to the UK. These professionals had to leave the country after being adversely affected by the retrospective changes made to the visa rules in November 2006.
Now, after the court order, the home office has published a detailed implementation document for these migrants.
“They can just fill in the application based on the guidance notes from next week, and they can come back without paying any additional fee,” says Amit Kapadia of HSMP Forum.
The new policy guidelines will benefit migrants who have been refused extension earlier, those who haven't even applied for extension as well as those who have switched their immigration categories.
“When they will apply for extensions, they will be getting extension for the remaining period of three years. For example, if someone just had a year remaining, they will get that extension so that they can then apply for settlement. Of course its up to the individual, if they don't want to apply for settlement, then they can keep applying for extensions based on the old rules,” says Kapadia.
The application forms and guidance notes will be available from next week. But among those who'd had to leave, apprehensions about returning remain.
It’s estimated that around 5,000 HSMP professionals, majority of them Indians, had to leave the UK following the changes made in November 2006. They can now return at no extra cost. But after their bitter experience, how many of them will actually trust the British government again, remains to be seen.
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