PTI

Indian chefs welcome, not IT pros: UK panel

Prasun Sonwalkar in London | September 09, 2008 18:23 IST

Indian chefs will be allowed to work in Britain's multi-million pound Indian restaurant industry, but Indian IT workers are no longer required in the UK, a key government committee on immigration said on Tuesday.

The Migration Advisory Committee of the the Home Office revised its list of occupations and skills that are in short supply in the UK, which enables employers to recruit skilled workers from India and other countries outside the European Union.

The revised list includes skilled chefs, secondary school teachers of maths and sciences, consultants and senior specialist nurses, some engineering occupations, including civil and chemical engineers.

The recommendations made by the committee are usually accepted by the government.

People from the Indian restaurant industry recently took to the streets in London and Glasgow to protest against new immigration measures that prevented them from recruiting chefs from the Indian sub-continent.

Several representations were also made to the government by MPs and association of restaurant owners. The MAC report published includes 'skilled chefs' as one of the shortage occupations, meeting the main demand of the industry.

However, it will not be easy for Indian IT workers to find job in Britain due to the surplus in the employment market in the country and the EU.

Non-EU workers will only be allowed to work in the shortage occupations listed by the MAC.