India, UK FTA: Goyal Pushes for Liberal Visas

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday pitched for a more liberal visa regime for businesses and professionals to promote bilateral trade and investments between India and the UK.

He also said that India has "never ever" discussed immigration in any free trade agreement negotiations.

The remarks assume significance as India and the UK trade ministers announced resumption of talks for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA).

The announcement was made by Goyal and UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds, who is here on an official visit.

As part of the FTA, India is seeking easy visa norms for smooth movement of skilled professionals.

Under the pact, he said, the two countries are opening up services in a "big way" and also opening up economies to attract more investments.

"We have also as a part of FTA opened up each other's services sector while protecting the sensitivities that each country has, so that, that can open up new opportunities and obviously for all of this, business visas will be required and they will be linked to investments, to the services that are going to be opened up," Goyal told reporters in the presence of Reynolds.

"So I don't see any difficulty in that. And I do think they are already quite open between the two countries. And if we both wish to expand our trade and investments, obviously we have to be faster and more liberal in our issuance of visa," he said.

Goyal added that in several countries, including the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, Indian students travel for education.

In almost all these countries, to incentivise education, business and attract more people, countries "do give a certain period of time for students to gain practical experience to work in their country but that is short-term business work visas. It has nothing to do with immigration as such," he added.

He said that immigration has never been a part of any trade negotiations.

"India has never ever discussed immigration in any free tarde agreement negotiations," Goyal said.

Reynolds said that business mobility is a separate issue from immigration.

India's ask for easier business and professional visas have been a sticking point in the pact.