In an interesting story, 9-year old Indian chess prodigy Shreyas Royal will be forced to leave UK following the expiry of his father’s UK work visa. Little Shreyas has proven himself over the last 3 years to possess a level of talent in Chess that Britain has rarely seen before, and could be an asset to the nation in the years to come.
And that is exactly what the parents of Shreyas Royal are trying to convince the Home office of in their bid to achieve an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
This can be considered to be one of those instances where immigration law of the UK might seem a little murky. Shreyas was only three years old when he moved to the UK with his parents, meaning he has his roots firmly established in the UK. There is no doubt that he would struggle with his chess career and his education should he be forced to move back to India after developing such a strong presence on the British chess scene.
According to Royal’s coach Julian Simpole (who coached 2 English Grand Masters), “He pretty much wins every competition he’s in”, referring to Shreyas’s three year old career in the professional circuit. Shreyas has won numerous trophies and medals and spends most of his time touring the country for various tournaments.
The irony is that UK Immigration rules have a visa category called Tier 1 Exceptional Talent, under which there is an ‘exceptional promise’ subcategory. The exceptional promise provision in the Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa is for those individuals who are predicted (and hence endorsed) to be exceptionally successful in their respective fields in the years to come, adding major value to the nation’s progress in the fields of science, humanities, engineering, medicine, digital technology or the arts.
This highlights that the UK government is in favor of nurturing talented individuals from other countries. If this is the case, then why is the UK choosing to get rid of an exceptionally talented individual who she has come across by fate; why is Shreyas Royal not being allowed to stay?
According to our experts at The SmartMove2UK, Shreyas’s application for settlement in the UK should be considered extremely favorably by the Home Office. Not only do we believe this because he would be a national asset to the country should his exceptional skills and dedication be nurtured in the right direction, but also because a child having spent such a crucial part of his childhood in one country, should not be forced to move to another country on simply humanitarian grounds.
What will the verdict of the Home Office actually be regarding little Shreyas and his family?
We will root for the little guy [literally]!!
If you are or know someone with an exceptional talent, looking to expand their horizons to the UK, feel free to contact our UK immigration experts at The SmartMove2UK to evaluate the merits of the application for Tier 1 Exceptional Talent Visa.
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