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COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELEGRAM NO. Y CIRCULAR 86
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ACCEPTABLE TO MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE.
WE ARE STRONGLY OPPOSED TO (1) ABOVE AND FAVOUR A SOLUTION ON THE LINES OF (11) ABOVE.
(D) PROPOSAL THAT CATEGORY B VOUCHERS FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY GRADUATES SHOULD IN FUTURE BE ISSUED ONLY TO APPLICANTS WHOSE QUALIFICATIONS ARE CONSIDERED LIKELY TO ENABLE THEM READILY TO FIND EMPLOYMENT IN U.K. THIS IS DESIGNED TO SAFEGUARD INTERESTS OF POTENTIAL IMMIGRANTS WHOSE PAPER QUALIFICATIONS CARRY NO WEIGHT HERE, AND WHO, WHEN ADMITTED, SUFFER SERIOUS DISAPPOINTMENT. ALTHOUGH IT WOULD NOT (REPEAT NOT) BE REVEALED PUBLICLY NOR REVEALED TO OTHER COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENTS EVEN IN CONFIDENCE, MINISTRY OF LABOUR WOULD BE GUIDED BY REGULARLY REVISED LIST OF ACCEPTABLE DEGREES. FOR INDIA AND PAKISTAN CURRENT LIST WOULD CLASS AS ACCEPTABLE FOR THIS PURPOSE NO DEGREES BELOW MASTER OF SCIENCE (FIRST CLASS), MASTER OF ARTS (FIRST CLASS) AND DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY AND THEN ONLY FOLLOWING A COURSE OF STUDY OF AT
LEAST TWO YEARS. MAIN EFFECT OF PROPOSAL WOULD BE ON INDIANS AND PAKISTANIS BECAUSE THEY APPLY IN LARGEST NUMBERS AND SUFFER GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT,
(E) PROPOSAL TO REMOVE FROM VOUCHER SCHEME CERTAIN CLASSES OF DOCTORS, NAMELY THOSE WITH JOBS TO COME TO AND THOSE ACCEPTED ON MINISTRY OF HEALTH ATTACHMENT AND ASSESSMENT SCHEME. DOCTORS EXEMPTED FROM VOUCHER SCHEMES WOULD BE GIVEN ENTRY CERTIFICATES. THIS WOULD SPEED UP ENTRY BUT WOULD NOT, WE HOPE, PROVOKE ACCUSATIONS WE WERE ENCOURAGING A BRAIN-DRAIN.
(F) PROPOSAL TO GIVE PRIORITY IN CATEGORY B TO ANY QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WHO HAVE FIRM OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT. THIS CHANGE, ALTHOUGH A MINOR ONE AFFECTING COMPARATIVELY FEW APPLICANTS, WOULD BENEFIT US AND HAVE VERY LITTLE ADVERSE EFFECT ON WAITING LIST.
4. MAIN EFFECT OF PROPOSALS IN SUB-PARAS. 3(B) TO (D) ABOVE WOULD INEVITABLY BE ON INDIA AND PAKISTAN WHICH ARE MAJOR SOURCES OF IMMIGRANTS. BOTH COUNTRIES WOULD STILL HAVE ENOUGH POTENTIAL IMMIGRANTS ON WAITING LIST TO ENSURE THAT MAXIMUM 300 A YEAR CATEGORY A VOUCHERS WERE ISSUED FOR EMPLOYMENT IN UNRESTRICTED
/SECTOR.
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