The British government has decided not to appeal against
a court verdict last week allowing thousands of skilled
migrants, most of them Indians, to live and work in Britain,
the group that won the judgement said on Thursday.
Amit Kapadia, Executive Director for the pressure group
- Highly Skilled Migrants Programme (HSM) Forum - said
a senior official of the British Home Office had written
to him saying the government was “happy to take
the judge's decision as final and do not intend to waste
taxpayers' money with an appeal.”
The e-mail by Lin Homer, Chief Executive of the Home
Office's Border and Immigration Agency, ends lingering
concern among HSMP visa holders that the government might
appeal the April 8 High Court verdict in their favour.
In the e-mail, the British official said the Home Office
will not deport affected HSMP migrants while their visa
status is being decided.
“
We are no longer issuing further leave (to remain) refusals
to people affected by the judgement. Any HSMP migrant
falling into the group affected by the judgement whose
leave is about to expire can apply for an extension of
leave. If they do so before their existing leave expires,
that leave will be extended until we have made a decision
on their application in the light of the judgement. This
means they can stay in the country legally until processes
are put in place to implement the High Court's ruling.
I am also aware that some of your members have appeals
pending in the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. We are
looking into what can be done with forthcoming HSMP appeals
to ensure that the court's decision is put into effect
as efficiently as possible,” the British official
added.
Kapadia said: “This is a welcome gesture. We intend
to work with the Home Office to ensure that the judgement
is fully implemented.”
Some 44,000 migrants who came to Britain on HSMP visas
between 2002 and 2006 stood having to leave Britain
with their families after the government made retrospective
changes to the criteria by which highly-skilled migrants
could live and work in Britain.
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