India, UK sign MoU on illegal migrants

India and United Kingdom have signed two agreements to share data on criminal records to tackle international criminality and return illegal Indian migrants who are living in Britain.

The agreements were signed by Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who is on a visit to the UK, and Minister of Immigration Caroline Nokes.The new two-way deals reflect increased co-operation between the two countries. The signing of agreements comes as India has sought UK's help in early extradition of liquor baron Vijay Mallya from Britain for trial in loan default and money laundering cases in India.The MoU on criminal records exchange will lead to British and Indian law enforcement agencies sharing criminal records information, fingerprints and intelligence. This will assist police protecting public from known criminals, including sex offenders.

It will also allow the courts in both countries to access more information to support tougher sentencing decisions.

The agreement on returns paves the way for a quicker and more efficient process for documenting and recruiting Indian nationals who have no right to be in the UK to India. This has proven difficult in the past due to some Indians not having the required paperwork or travel documentation for them to be accepted back in India.

Details of the types of information exchanged through the MoUs and operational procedures, together with the details of any restrictions on using or disclosing the information will be the subject of further negotiations.