Cameron woos Indian students ahead of visit
LONDON: Indians will be "incredibly welcome" to come and study or work in the UK.
Just days before he leads a high powered delegation to India - his second since he took over as the prime minister of Britain in 2010 - David Cameron has said that India has a special place for the UK and it will not put any limit on the number of Indian students who can come to study at British universities or those who want to stay back and work.
He said, "All you need is a basic English qualification and a place at a British university. And after you've left a British university, if you can get a graduate-level job there is no limit to the amount of people who can stay and work, or the time that they can stay at work," Cameron said.
Ironically, Cameron on Wednesday openly expressed his intentions to put a cap on the number of migrants coming into UK from East European countries like Bulgaria and Romania.
Cameron, who asserted his love for cricket and hot curries, intends to persuade more Indians to come to Britain during his trip to Delhi and Mumbai next week.
Official figures show that tough visa rules resulted in a 25% dip last year in the number of Indians studying at British universities. The latest home ministry rules say that foreign graduates earning less than £20,000 are not permitted to stay in the UK.
India could also see Cameron making a public apology for the short comings of the British Empire by conceding that Britain may have been responsible for the division of Kashmir. He has however said in the past that UK will not mediate between India and Pakistan over the contentious issue.
Cameron will lead a delegation of key cabinet ministers - defence, trade and commerce, environment and a high-powered business delegation to strengthen trade ties with India.
