UK's Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra has defended her government's immigration proposals during a visit to India, while expressing concern about a rise in foreign students seeking asylum at the end of their studies.
Under the new plans, some migrants could have to wait up to 20 years before they can settle permanently in the UK and the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain will be extended from five to 10 years.
The proposals will apply to an estimated 2.6 million people who arrived in the country since 2021. They have drawn criticism from some quarters, including a few Labour MPs, even though the Conservatives gave the measures a cautious welcome.
The reforms are in line with what countries around the world do to stop the abuse of their immigration systems, Malhotra told the BBC in the southern Indian city of Chennai, adding that there was a very strong message we also send, which is that we welcome those coming legally.
According to Malhotra some 16,000 international students from across the world had applied for asylum in the UK last year after completing their courses, which she said was evidence of abuse of legal migration routes.
A further 14,800 students sought asylum this year to June 2025, latest Home Office figures show. It is unclear how many of them are Indian nationals.
Malhotra highlighted potential visa abuses stating, We've seen visa abuse in the case of legal routes, where people have gone legally and then sought to overstay when their visas weren't extended.
She emphasized that this level of abuse undermines the immigration system and public confidence in it.
Despite falling numbers of Indian students heading to the UK, Malhotra reassured that Britain still very much welcomes them while working with universities to ensure legitimate enrolment.
The recently concluded free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and India is also expected to foster educational partnerships, including the establishment of UK campuses in India.
Amid domestic political challenges regarding migration, Malhotra noted that the proposed immigration system emphasizes economic contributions and aims to protect against visa exploitation.
