Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal concluded a three-day visit to London on 27 June 2026 aimed at readying the India–UK Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement (CETA) and the parallel Double Contribution Convention (DCC) for launch on 15 July. Talks with UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle centred on the new short-term ‘Business Visitor (CETA)’ visa that will allow stays of up to 180 days in either market for installation, after-sales and R&D activities without triggering local payroll tax. HR teams must still track the convention’s 183-day social-security exemption and ensure certificates of coverage are filed within 30 days of assignment start. The sides also agreed to test a fast-track lane at Heathrow and Delhi IGI airports for CETA-labelled travellers, using barcode-stamped boarding passes. If the pilot works, similar lanes will open at Bengaluru BLR and Manchester by November. Goyal’s delegation met Rolls-Royce, HSBC and Tata executives to discuss recognition of Indian engineering qualifications under the agreement—vital for seconding Indian staff into UK advanced-manufacturing projects. Legal firms Baker McKenzie and Linklaters said they are already drafting assignment policies that blend the CETA visa with UK salary-threshold changes due in September. With tariffs on 85 per cent of goods set to drop from day one, analysts predict a rush of installation engineers and after-sales technicians; mobility managers should prepare for a spike in A1 certificates and UK right-to-work checks from mid-July.
Source: The Economic Times
