UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated Monday that Britain will not relax visa rules for India, speaking before arriving in the country to promote benefits of a recent trade agreement.
The prime minister is leading a delegation of more than 100 entrepreneurs, cultural leaders, and university vice-chancellors as he attempts to boost UK investment and improve sluggish economic growth.
Sir Keir said there were “massive opportunities” to improve trade and cultural ties with India but no plans to open more visa routes to Indian workers or students.
Speaking in India, Sir Keir said no business leaders he met had “raised with me the question of visas” during his trip. Instead, the visit to India “is about providing the opportunities” for Indian businesses “to take advantage” of the UK-India trade deal signed in July after years of negotiation.
The deal will reduce costs for UK cars and whisky exported to India and Indian textiles and jewelry exported to the UK as part of the multi-billion pound trade boost. The agreement included a three-year exemption on social security paid by Indian employees working in the UK on short-term visas, though ministers insisted there were no wider immigration policy changes.
The Labour government is attempting to cut immigration levels into the UK and announced a tough policy on settlement status at the party’s conference last week.
Speaking to reporters on the plane to Mumbai, Sir Keir said visas “played no part” in the India trade deal and that situation had not changed.
Asked whether the UK might consider attracting tech entrepreneurs following President Donald Trump’s H-1B visa changes in the US, Sir Keir said the UK wanted to attract “top talent” globally to help grow the economy but repeatedly stated there were no plans for new visa routes to India.
“We have got the single biggest delegation trade mission ever to come to India,” Sir Keir told reporters in Mumbai, stating the UK-India relationship was at “an all-time high.”
Sir Keir announced that three Bollywood films will be made in the UK by Yash Raj Films from 2026, ending an eight-year hiatus. Downing Street linked the move to the UK-India trade deal, saying it will bring 3,000 jobs and pour millions into the economy.
Yash Raj Films CEO Akshaye Widhani said the UK “holds a very special place in our hearts.” “The UK’s infrastructure, technology and talent is unmatched, and we are delighted to deepen our cultural ties with a country that has always empowered us to excel creatively,” Mr Widhani said.
Among businesses traveling with the prime minister was British Airways, which announced plans for a third daily flight between Delhi and Heathrow next year. Manchester Airport also revealed a new direct Delhi route.
During the two-day trip, the prime minister is expected to meet Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who ahead of Sir Keir’s visit conveyed “warm birthday greetings” to Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media.
Sir Keir said he would not follow suit, telling reporters: “Just for the record, I haven’t sent birthday congratulations to Putin, nor am I going to do so. I don’t suppose that comes as a surprise.”
Asked whether he would criticize Modi over India’s purchase of Russian oil, Sir Keir said the UK’s focus was on Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers. The prime minister said the UK had been one of the “lead countries in relation to the shadow fleet”, the name for unregulated tankers ferrying Russian oil.
Sir Keir suggested during the trip he would raise the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, the British Sikh man held in an Indian prison for seven years without conviction. When asked about the case ahead of meeting Modi, Sir Keir said “of course we always raise consular cases on every level.”
