“We are happy to learn that UK Government has taken on board our concerns as well as concerns expressed by other quarters. UK and India have a strategic partnership. People-to-people contacts provide strength and durability to our long standing warm and friendly ties with the UK,' said the Official Spokesperson of the Indian External Affairs Ministry, Syed Akbaruddin here on Tuesday.

The news from the British Government abandoning its controversial decision to impose a £3,000 immigration cash bond is indeed a welcome development and has come as a relief to Indian companies who have been actively eying the UK market to invest and to do business with said the apex Indian industry body, FICCI in a statement said.

FICCI has always stood for a free, fair and transparent UK visa regime allowing for greater people to people interactions and movement of professionals for furthering trade and economic relations between the two countries.

“Despite being one of the largest investors in the UK, Indian citizens would have been clubbed in the 'high-risk' category along with other African and Asian countries. FICCI was the first to raise Indian industry's concerns on the negative impact such an unwarranted measure could have on rising Indian investments into the UK,” said the FICCI President Naina Lal Kidwai.

It is noteworthy that the UK government has positively considered the apprehensions raised by Indian Industry on the issue and has accordingly decided to withdraw the proposed cash bond scheme.

Clarifying Indian Government’s promptness in taking up the issue with UK, Akbaruddin said : “I would like to say that soon after media’s reports on the proposed visa bond scheme came to the Government’s attention earlier this year, we responded promptly by raising the matter with the UK Government. Our views on the subject were conveyed to the UK Government at different levels, including by Hon’ble Commerce and Industry Minister, Shri Anand Sharma in his meetings in June 2013 during his visit to London. These were once again discussed during the India-UK Comprehensive Dialogue on Visa Related Issues held in London in July 2013.”