NEW DELHI, July 4 (ANI) — India is focused on ensuring greater mobility for its highly skilled professionals rather than broader migration issues, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Friday as questions were raised about New Zealand’s proposed stricter immigration rules ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country.
Responding to a question during a special briefing on Modi’s upcoming visit to Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand, MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said India is aware of the broader global debate on migration but emphasized that New Delhi’s priority is facilitating the movement of skilled professionals.
“Well, you know, on the migration question, we are aware that there’s a lot of discussion in many countries, not just New Zealand, on the whole issue of migration. But our focus is actually mobility. It is part and parcel of our trade agreements, and it’s very important to maintain that distinction,” Tandon said.
He added that the Government of India has been working to improve opportunities for highly skilled Indian professionals, including CEOs and technical experts.
“The Government of India has been trying to improve the prospects of mobility for our high-skilled workers, our CEOs, our technical experts, because experience has shown us that over a period of time, the hassles faced by our technical experts do create the effect of a de facto non-tariff barrier,” he said.
Referring to the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement signed on April 27, Tandon said the issue had been addressed as part of the pact.
“In fact, this question was tried to be addressed in the recently signed India-New Zealand FTA. And, of course, once it comes into effect, we will know how successful that has been,” he added.
Addressing the role of the Indian diaspora during the Prime Minister’s visit, Tandon said community engagement would remain an important part of the tour.
“The demand from the Indian community is always so strong that it has become an almost standard feature of all his visits. Because there is a significant diaspora in all three countries that he is visiting, there will certainly be a diaspora component. It will be formatted differently in different countries,” he said.
As part of his three-nation visit, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Indonesia on July 8-9, Australia on July 10, and New Zealand on July 11.
The Indonesia visit will focus on reviewing the bilateral partnership, while Modi will participate in the third India-Australia Annual Summit during his stop in Australia. The visit to New Zealand will mark the first by an Indian prime minister in 40 years. (ANI)
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