India Push for Easier Visas for Its Companies Operating In United Kingdom.

India will keep pushing for easier visa rules for skilled professionals hired by its companies investing in Britain as it looks to finalize a free trade pact with the UK by end-2023, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

This is in addition to New Delhi’s longstanding pitch for more visas for Indian workers, two people said. India is aware of the reluctance in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration on the visa demands, the people added. The business visa issue was a key hurdle that led to talks blowing past an October 2022 deadline.

Indian companies are the second biggest foreign investors in UK, data shows, adding weight to New Delhi’s push for hiring flexibility for its businesses. 

A potential carbon tax that Britain is considering on steel imports and rules of origin issues, and longer term work options for Indian students in the UK are also likely to be discussed during the weeklong talks that started between Indian and UK officials Monday, the people added.

The goal posts and time lines on finalizing the outlines of the pact — which is expected to double bilateral trade between the two nations by 2030 — have shifted a few times. The UK had previously said it wanted to finalize the deal by the Hindu festival of Diwali last year. Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch visited India in December in an effort to move forward with the deal. 

The latest round of talks comes as ties between the two countries have been strained in recent months after the Indian High Commission in London was vandalized and the British Broadcasting Corp. ran a critical documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

“It’s part of a broader relationship with India that is growing,” Sunak said on the FTA at a business event in London on Monday.