SATURDAY
January 1 2022 | thetimes.co.uk | No 73669£2.50 £1.75 to subscribers
(based on 7 Day Print Pack)Ministers want to relax immigration
rules to make it easier for thousands of
Indians to live and work in the UK as
part of trade talks that are due to begin
within weeks.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the inter-
national trade secretary, is expected to
travel to Delhi this month to start
negotiations on a potential deal.
The Times understands that she will
use the visit to open the prospect of
relaxing immigration rules for Indian
citizens — a key demand from Delhi.
She is backed by Liz Truss, the foreign
secretary, who has put securing closer
ties with India at the top of the govern-
ment’s agenda to counter the influence
of China. The move sets up a cabinet
clash with Priti Patel, the home secre-
tary, who is said to oppose the offer.
One option being looked at is a
scheme similar to the one agreed withAustralia, which would allow young
Indians the chance to come and work in
the UK for up to three years. Another
option would be to cut visa fees for stu-
dents and allow them to stay in Britain
for a period after they graduate.
There could also be reductions in
visa fees for both work and tourism. At
present it can cost an Indian citizen up
to £1,400 for a work visa, while students
pay £348 and tourists £95.
For British tourists travelling to IndiaOliver Wright Policy Editor
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the fee is £110, while a one-year busi-
ness visa costs £165.
With a GDP of about £2 trillion, India
is predicted to become the world’s third
largest economy by 2050 but it has al-
ways been protectionist, with signifi-
cant tariffs on imports.
Ministers believe a trade deal with
Delhi could be transformational and
give British businesses a head start in
one of the most lucrative markets in the
Continued on page 2, col 3Take the lead The Olympic cyclists Jason and Laura Kenny have become the first husband and wife to be made a knight and dame at the same time. Honours, pages 6-
Visa deal to lure India
Relaxed immigration rules could allow thousands to move from subcontinent
ALEX BROADWAY/SWPIX.COM/REXOne in 25
infected but
no decision
yet on curbs
Chris Smyth Whitehall EditorBoris Johnson will wait until later next
week to decide whether further Covid
restrictions are needed despite one in
25 people in England being infected
in the run-up to Christmas.
The prime minister wants more time
as the festive break means recent data is
not considered reliable enough to draw
firm conclusions about the spread of
the Omicron variant.
Yesterday booster jabs were estimat-
ed to offer 88 per cent protection
against hospital admission. However,
ministers were alarmed by a second day
of more than 2,000 virus patients being
admitted to wards in England.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said
cases were rising “particularly in the
over-60s”, which is usually the main
predictor of impending pressure on
hospitals. NHS chiefs are urging minis-
ters and the public to “avoid compla-
cency” and carry on limiting social con-
tacts until the data is clearer.
A record 189,846 cases were reported
across the UK yesterday but ministers
are struggling to interpret the trends.
Fewer people may have been getting
tested, while reporting of some statis-
tics has been delayed over the Christ-
mas break. “It’s impossible to draw con-
clusions on the data at the moment,
that’s why there’s no clarity for anyone,”
a Downing Street source said.
The Office for National Statistics
estimated that more than two million
people in England had the virus in the
week to December 23, or one in 25. This
included one in 15 in London.
Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS
Confederation of health bosses, said
hospital data was “deeply concerning”.
Coronavirus reports, pages 14-y(7HB7E2*OTSNQN( |||+,!$