Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas |UPSC Current Affairs

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Context: The governments of India and the U.K. marked Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 9 by kicking off the Young Professionals Scheme

Details:

It will permit up to 3,000 of their degree-holding citizens aged between 18 and 30 to live and work in each other’s countries for a period of two years.
The launch of the scheme, which was conceived as part of an India-U.K. Migration and Mobility MoU signed in May 2021, was announced in November at the G20 summit in Bali, where U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The scheme, which will run for a period of three years initially, would hopefully be “up and running in March”.

What is it?

As part of a new agreement with India, the UK government has agreed (albeit in a non-binding agreement) to participate in a scheme aimed at allowing increased mobility for a limited number of young people between India and the UK.
It will allow up to 3,000 Indian nationals per year aged between 18 and 30 to come to the UK to live and work for a period of up to two years.
In return, 3,000 UK nationals a year will be able to do the same in India.

Who can apply?

Unlike the Youth Mobility Scheme, which has no qualification or English language requirements, hopeful applicants under the Young Professionals scheme will have to hold a diploma or degree equivalent to at least three years of higher education and be able to express themselves in the language of the host country.
It is also possible that the visa could require sponsorship or a job offer from a named employer, which would distinguish it from the un-sponsored Youth Mobility Scheme route, however the eligibility requirements have not yet been finalised.

How will the 3,000 be picked?

This is not yet clear.
It is likely that this visa will be over-subscribed, with millions of Indian nationals meeting the eligibility requirements.
In this case it is likely that there will be a lottery for places, as in some countries for the Youth Mobility visa where places are heavily limited.
There are also concerns that this category may be dominated by large tech companies, which will gain a monopoly on the limited spaces available, if it offers a cheaper way to bring talent into the UK.

PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIWAS