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Caroline Nokes, the minister of state for immigration, said in a letter sent in response to Lawson that while Shreyas shows “immense promise,” there was “no route, within the rules, that will allow Mr. Singh and his family to remain in the country.”

Singh said in a telephone interview that once this visa expires, he cannot apply for another year, and if he gets a new assignment in Britain, he would have to apply from India. So the family must leave the country.

He's asking a lot of questions about why we have to go back to India

Immigration law in Britain allows for visas to be issued to those with “exceptional talent” — in fields such as science, engineering, digital technology and fashion — or categories of “sport,” like archery, cricket, snooker or yoga.

But according to Lawson, chess does not qualify as an exceptional talent or a sport.

Reeves and others have suggested that if Singh earned more than 120,000 pounds, he would be eligible to extend his work visa. But the Home Office said that was not an option.

Singh’s visa, intended for transfers within a company, was “not a route to settlement” in the country, “and it is not an option to immediately extend it once the five-year period of leave comes to an end — regardless of how much the individual is earning.”

Famous sporting figures have been allowed to settle in Britain in the past, including Mo Farah, the Olympic distance runner, who was born in Somalia and became a naturalized British citizen.

And as Britain moves closer to leaving the European Union, the government has spoken in favor of attracting talent from around the world, amid fears that tighter borders could isolate the country.

For now, Shreyas — who is ranked fourth in the world for his age group, according to the English federation — is competing in the British Chess Championships. “We are getting a lot of support,” Singh said Thursday, “but we’re not getting any response from Sajid Javid.”

The prodigy and his family are worried, his father says.

“He’s asking a lot of questions about why we have to go back to India,” Singh said. “This is the only place he remembers.”