Mumbai: Over 5,000 highly skilled migrants, most of them Indians, will be allowed back into Britain following a major policy change by the UK government.

The changes follow a court ruling on April 8 this year that the November 2006 changes in immigration policy could not be applied retrospectively. The Indian High Commission had also taken up the issue with the British government.

Indian professionals, who had to leave the UK after being adversely affected by the November 2006 changes to immigration rules, had challenged the new rules in the High Court.

Under the new visa policy guidelines all such Indian and other non-EU professionals would now be allowed to return and resume work under the criteria which they first entered the UK.

While around 5,000 highly skilled migrants were forced to leave Britain following the introduction of the new criteria, the rules passed by the UK Border and Immigration Agency also saw refusal of visa extension and deportation orders to many Indians.

The new policy will now cover not only migrants who were approved before November 2006, but also those who were refused extension under the unlawful rules entry to the UK. It may also be applicable to those migrants who did not apply for extensions and to migrants in the more restrictive visa regimes.