Pact on migrants likely during PM’s UK visit for C’wealth meet

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 12

India and the UK hope to ink a revised pact on return of illegal immigrants when Prime Minister Modi visits London this month for the Commonwealth Summit. The existing agreement ended in 2014.

The MoU seeks to “ensure the return of persons who have no lawful basis to be in the territory of the other party after verification of nationality to its satisfaction”. The agreement will also help provide information to police about known criminals, including sex offenders on both sides. “As and when we are informed that someone is illegal and the status has been confirmed by Indian High commission in London, we have a mechanism to bring them back. We ended the process in 2014, but we still have the procedure in place,” said K Nagaraj Naidu, Joint Secretary, Europe West.

However, India disagrees with UK Homeland authorities that number of Indians overstaying their visas run into several thousands. Indian officials argue that once the individual claims to have lost their passport, ascertaining identity could be time taking and all South Asian migrants must not be profiled as Indians. Officials also point out that post 2008 Indian Passport Issuing Authority has captured biometric data of individuals which is easier to compare with British database. But passports issued prior to 2008 are complicated ones. “In the last 10 years, only some 5,000 Indians have been deported back,” said Naidu. Most of these returning Indians belonged to states like Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu among others.

Prime Minister Modi who will hold formal talks with counterpart Theresa May during his Commonwealth visit, will also call on the Queen and hold a diaspora interaction possibly answering a few questions asked through social media.

What cabinet’s MoU says 

• As per an MoU cleared by the Union Cabinet, procedure of return of nationals who are caught to be staying illegally will be made time-bound 
• The revised pact says if an individual is proved 100 per cent as Indian by authorities on both sides, deportation must happen with 15 days