New Delhi, June 25 (KNN) Raising concern over UK's proposal to reduce demand for migrant labour, industry body CII today said the move would restrict movement of skilled professionals into Britain from non-EU countries, including India. 

"CII has expressed deep concern over the recent announcement made by UK Prime Minister David Cameron which would have the effect of restricting mobility of skilled professionals into UK from non-EU countries, including India," the industry chamber said in a statement. 

The UK's Migration Advisory Committee has been tasked to advise its government on a new skills levy, raising salary thresholds for migrant workers and reforms to skills shortage criteria, it said. 

There are over 800 Indian companies operating in the UK, contributing to the overall economy by paying taxes, hiring local talent, it added. 

While several companies offer their own training programs, when it comes to high-skilled work and specialised knowledge of company operations, the intra-company transfer route becomes crucial, CII said adding operations of many companies availing the ICT visa may be "severely disrupted" by the move. 

"We understand the concern on immigration and skill shortage in the UK. This is a huge opportunity for India and the UK to work together...We must not undermine the contributions of Indian companies in the UK, who are keen to partner in this process," the statement said. 

It would be important for the UK government to get a deeper understanding of how this could hit the real stakeholders in the India-UK economic relationship - both Indian and British companies, it said. 

The move has caused significant concern among the business community, CII added. (KNN Bureau)