UK migrants cap may face legal challenge

Prasun Sonwalkar and H S Rao
London, Jun 27 (PTI) The annual cap of 24,100
professionals from India and other non-European Union
countries to be announced on Monday will be open to challenge
in the courts, an influential group representing professionals
from India and other non-EU states Sunday said.
Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May is scheduled to
announce the temporary cap to be implemented between now and
April 2011 on Monday.
It means that British employers will not be able to
employ any Indian and other non-EU professionals once the
limit of 24,100 is reached.
Amit Kapadia, director of Highly Skilled Migrant
Programme (HSMP) Forum that fought a successful legal
challenge against immigration rules, said the government's
move to impose an "illogical" cap will be opposed.
"We don’t think that any sort of cap would work out.
It would be unworkable. The effects remain to be seen, but if
the government really tries to implement drastic measures it
is going to cause a lot of unhappiness, especially among
migrants who work hard and pay taxes," he told PTI.
"A consultation should take place with stakeholders to
assess impact of such measures otherwise any such
unsubstantiated measures with procedural defects will be
reviewable in the courts," he added.
The cap will adversely affect Indian professionals
because most non-European Union migrants to the UK come from
India. Indians have been among the largest group of
professionals recruited in the IT, medicine, education and
services sector every year.
"Taking taking such drastic measures will affect UK
businesses and in turn it will affect the economy. What we
feel is there shouldn’t be any knee jerk reaction just to show
that the government is tough on immigration," Kapadia said.
"The government needs to keep in mind the possible
consequences which will be faced by employers due to such
unfair measures,” he underlined.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for London mayor Boris Johnson
also expressed opposition to the annual cap.
"A crude cap could be very detrimental to the free
movement of the talented, creative and enterprising people who
have enabled London to be such a dominant global force," he
said.
Sections of Prime Minister David Cameron government
and sections of British trade and industry have opposed the
annual cap plan on the ground that the British economy will
ultimately suffer if employers are not allowed to hire the
right kind of professionals from abroad if talent in certain
sectors is not available within the country. (MORE) PTI PS/HSR
RDM



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