The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme immigrants, mostly from India, have accused the British government of depriving them of permanent settlement as promised initially.
The new immigration regime includes tighter rules for students, limits on skilled professionals and new restrictions on the settlement of migrants who are already in Britain.
HSMP Forum, which supports and assists skilled workers in the United Kingdom, has claimed that British immigration officials humiliate, harass and abuse highly skilled Indian workers returning from foreign trips.
Upholding the revision petition filed by the highly skilled migrants programme forum against retrospective changes effected to HSMP in November 2006, the high court in its judgement said: "The old scheme constituted an integrated and entire programme." It said that it was 'not open to the government to alter the terms and conditions upon which the pre-arranged stages were to be implemented.'
The Commission further noted, "We are of the clear belief that the Race Equality Impact assessment of the changes to the HSMP does not fully comply with the requirements of the Race Equality duty."
Part 2 of the transcript of the chat with British visa officials.
