The United Kingdom and India have announced a new agreement that will bring education closer together, improve short-term bilateral mobility, and provide for reciprocal recognition of qualifications. Both governments have decided on a strategy to boost research collaboration, as well as a slew of initiatives aimed at making it easier for students and professionals to travel between the two countries.
The 2030 Roadmap for India-UK Future Ties would revitalize and dynamically link the two countries, elevating the relationship to a “comprehensive strategic partnership.” India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson issued a joint statement emphasizing their mutual contribution to a stronger relationship in Science, Education, Research, and Innovation.
According to the information, short-stay, multiple-entry visas will be granted “as soon as possible after a legitimate application is received.”
“Participants will promote the use of higher education opportunities by nationals of each other’s countries through initiatives such as student fairs, university missions, and education expos to raise awareness and understanding of educational opportunities, including scholarship schemes, internship assistance, and relevant immigration laws and regulations,” according to the MoU on mobility.
By the end of 2021, India and the United Kingdom will work to negotiate on reciprocal acknowledgment of credentials and “support and encourage the two-way movement of a larger number of scholars, instructors, and researchers.”
The UK will encourage Indian students studying in the UK to stay in the country and work as professional workers along the graduate path.
Those already in employment or with a guarantee of employment (and who meet the conditions in the UK Immigration Rules) may continue to reside in the UK to carry out their professional activity after the two-year period for undergraduate and masters graduates and the three-year period for PhD holders, according to the document.
Furthermore, a proposed Young Professionals Scheme will enable young people aged 18 to 30 to participate in two-year career exchanges. Students in higher education would also have the possibility of doing job placements or internships in their opponent’s country for up to a year.
The mobility agreement also paves the way for scholars, graduate students, and specialist scientists to move between the two countries, with the two countries agreeing to make it easier to obtain visas or residency permits for those wishing to conduct research or teach at the university level.
According to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the relationship between the two countries can “only expand over the next decade as we do more together to solve the world’s toughest challenges and make life easier for our people.” Many universal principles unite the United Kingdom and India. He said, “The United Kingdom is one of the world’s oldest democracies, and India is the world’s largest.”
The pledge to mutual acceptance of qualifications by the end of 2021, according to UUKi’s TNE director Eduardo Ramos, maybe an “important step” toward the establishment of dual and joint degrees, as well as twinning agreements between higher education institutions in the two countries.
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