Students a big link in relations between India, UK: British High Commissioner

British High Commissioner Alex Ellis in an interview with Sanjeev Singh Bariana and Hamir Singh says students are the biggest link in relations between India and the UK. He says the number of Indian students in the UK has tripled in the past three years. “The UK issued around 1,00,000 visas to Indian students this year with a sizeable number of them being Punjabis,” he says. He gives a detailed roadmap of programmes of potential collaborations between the two countries in agriculture, information technology, food processing, higher education, sports, public transport and biomass sectors. Excerpts:

What are the prospects for Indian students who want to settle down in the UK after completing their studies?

One of the reasons why the number of students, particularly Indians, has gone up is because we have changed our work norms. Now, students can work for two years in the UK after the completion of their education. This is to help them repay their education loans. But, it shouldn’t just be about settling down there. It should be about greater mobility of people between the two countries. One of the important things I discussed with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday was how to track people back in Punjab after they complete their studies from the UK. That will connect education to our trade and investment story.

Focus on agriculture

Agriculture is one of the core sectors. We are deliberating on new innovations in the sector, specially technology for sustainable agriculture.

What are the important areas of common interest?

Agriculture is one of the core sectors. We are deliberating on new innovations in the sector, specially technology for sustainable agriculture. Our technology on waste energy is best suited to requirements of Punjab. We want more British companies to come here. We have some significant British investments in electric vehicles, including buses, in India. We worked together on the Covishield vaccine with international manifestations.

What was the central theme of your meeting with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann?

First of all on the trade investment side, we will like to bring an agri-technology mission here to explore avenues for farming companies. Secondly, a group of British universities is coming to India in two weeks. We will see if we can link them with some good universities in Punjab. I will also like to explore possibilities of close tie-ups in the field of sports as Punjab has a strong sporting tradition.

Are there any differences that need to be ironed out?

My job is to try and accentuate the positive and support the prime ministers of the two countries who have given us a clear vision about what they want to achieve from this relationship. With a massive flow of people, we will like to see if we can get direct flights between Punjab and the UK. With the good comes the bad. Sometimes people who come to the UK or Britons who come here get involved in bad things. We need to ensure that we have good cooperation in law enforcement, especially to stop the abuse of the migration rules.

Is illegal migration an area of big concern for the UK?

It is, but it mostly concerns people who overstay their visas. Sometimes, it can be people who are trying to come to the UK in garb of students. We have good systems in place to deal with the issue. There is a huge demand for UK visas so we have to be careful.

Is the Ukraine-Russia conflict reflective of a changed world order?

The world is changing. When I joined the diplomatic services in 1990s, the Soviet Union was collapsing and the Berlin Wall had gone down. It was a time of great optimism. That era is now dead. We are in a tougher world. India and the United Kingdom both seek more national resilience. There is also an increased resilience in relations between the two countries that is why India and UK are coming close together while looking ahead at the 21st century. With the expected signing of the Free Trade Agreement, things will further brighten up by Diwali this year. Our Defence Cooperation Agreement will reduce procedural wranglings and ensure early delivery. The Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement has clearly spelt out how both countries will benefit from better arrangements on migration issues.