A large number of Indian nationals studying in the United Kingdom, who converted their student visa into Highly Skilled Migrants Programme category, are now regretting their decision after recent changes in the British immigration laws.

The Highly Skilled Migrants Programme holders, who came to the UK with a promise of visa extensions based on economic activity and permanent residence in four years, have been left vulnerable and devastated owing to the new drastic changes, a forum for the affected students said on Sunday.

"The changes that took place in November 2006 did not just affect the HSMP holders but has raised a lot of concern for the future of Indian students who had come to UK for higher education," said Kapadia, Director and Coordinator of the HSMP forum in a statement.

Many of the Indian students after completing post-graduation and other courses have switched to HSMP as in-country applicants, but now they have realised the new changes introduced by the British government might not lead them anywhere.

Most of these experienced professionals have spent more than 20,000 pounds on their studies and have switched to HSMP programme after finishing their courses.

Citing a case, Kapadia said, Nirupam Kumar, an engineer who did his MBA from De Montfort University in Leicester and got his HSMP visa early last year tried for a work permit as per transitional arrangements as he won't qualify for HSMP extension, but even that was refused by the authorities.

"I spent around 20,000 pounds on my courses and got my HSMP but now due to the unfair new changes introduced in November, I don't qualify for HSMP extension as my earnings are less than 35,000 pounds per annum. If I had known this beforehand, I would never have pursued my studies in the UK and would not have thought of settling down here," Kumar said.

Though the Home Office claimed to have provided transitional arrangements for people who don't qualify for their HSMP extensions, the HSMP immigrants consider it to be a sham as it doesn't provide any support to those who came on old rules.

The transitional arrangement expects them to switch to temporary based programmes like work permit which would deprive the HSMP immigrants and their families to claim indefinite leave to remain.

"The new changes have been sending wrong signals that Indians are unwanted in UK," Kapadia said, adding that it is happening even as India has become the second biggest foreign investor in the UK.

He said, "Many students who came to the UK thinking that after studies HSMP would be a payback period are proved wrong. The unpredictable nature of UK immigration rules is creating hardships for one and all.

"Highly qualified and experienced professionals are being denied further visa extensions based on the new rules. This shows that the new legislation introduced by the UK Home Office is not only unfair but is designed without taking into consideration the ground realities.