Thorough immigration law needed for job security of those going abroad for work: Kerala CM

A comprehensive immigration law is necessary for job security and welfare of persons going abroad for employment, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said after signing an MoU with the United Kingdom to enable health workers from the southern state to migrate to that country.

Vijayan, who is on a Europe tour with some of his cabinet colleagues, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Europe-UK Regional Conference of the Lok Kerala Sabha held in London a day ago, a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

After signing the MoU, Vijayan said a comprehensive immigration law is necessary for the job security and welfare of those going abroad for employment, according to the CMO statement issued on Sunday.

At the same time, he also said it was not the policy of the state government to send everyone abroad and it instead aims to create a ”new Kerala” through the development here, the statement said.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister said his government’s aim was to further empower the education sector in the state and make Kerala a hub of higher education.

He also sought the ideas and support of non-resident Indians for creating more employment opportunities in the industrial sector of Kerala, according to the statement.

The MoU was signed after discussions between Norka Roots of Kerala government and the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), the statement said.

Its objective is to enable smooth migration of healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses and paramedical staff through safe, transparent and legal channels, the CMO statement said.

The first phase of the Kerala-UK project would see creation of more than 3,000 vacancies for various professionals in the health sector, the statement said.

After the completion of the process, there is also a plan to organise a week-long UK Employment Fest in November, it said.