The United Kingdom and India have announced a new Free Trade Agreement, bringing three years of negotiations to an end.
While much of the public attention has focused on tariffs and market access, the deal also introduces new provisions that will affect how UK employers recruit and engage skilled professionals from India. Among the most notable changes are measures aimed at streamlining temporary entry for certain categories of Indian workers, including independent professionals, contractual service providers and intra-company transferees.
According to the Department for Business and Trade, the deal is forecast to increase annual bilateral trade by £25.5 billion by 2040 and to contribute £4.8 billion to the UK economy each year in the longer term.
The UK government has detailed the terms of the agreement in its UK–India Trade Deal: Conclusion Summary.
UK Visa Routes for Indian Professionals
Of particular relevance to UK employers are the measures on mobility and immigration, which aim to make it easier for British businesses to access highly skilled professionals from India while reducing administrative and financial burdens under existing visa routes such as the Skilled Worker visa or the more limited Indian Young Professionals Scheme.
The agreement introduces new provisions for the temporary entry of Indian professionals into the UK under defined categories including contractual service suppliers, independent professionals such as chefs, yoga instructors, musicians and IT experts, as well as business visitors engaged in investment activity and employees transferred within multinational firms. The changes are intended to help UK service sectors bring in talent to meet skills shortages or project-based needs, without altering the UK’s approach to long-term immigration or settlement.
Visa Application Process Improvements
The UK has also committed to maintaining transparent and efficient visa procedures. The agreement includes measures to improve the consistency and clarity of visa application processes, which should give UK employers greater confidence when sponsoring Indian nationals for short- to medium-term assignments. While final implementation details will depend on how the agreement is applied through domestic immigration rules, both sides have signalled an intention to remove unnecessary barriers.
Social Security Contributions Agreement
One of the more contentious developments of the agreement is the introduction of a social security agreement known as the Double Contributions Convention. This arrangement allows employees temporarily posted between the UK and India to continue paying into their home country’s social security system for a period of up to three years.
In practice, this aims to prevent the need for duplicate payments and preserve contribution records.
For UK employers, the change means reduced costs when sending staff to India or receiving secondees from Indian headquarters.
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The trade deal has received support from industry groups, which view the agreement as a positive step for British firms with links to the Indian market. Employers in sectors such as technology, hospitality, consultancy and the creative industries are expected to benefit in particular.
Some political figures, however, have raised concerns about the fairness of allowing overseas workers to be exempt from certain UK tax requirements, but the government has defended the move as consistent with other international agreements of this kind.
The immigration-related provisions of the UK–India Free Trade Agreement offer clear advantages for British employers looking to work with Indian professionals. The agreement should help to simplify mobility with more cost-effective international talent recruitment. Further practical guidance is expected in the coming weeks as government departments move to implement the new terms. In the meantime, contact us if you have any questions about UK immigration and visa applications.
The official trade deal conclusion summary can be read here.
Author
Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.
She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.
Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals
