English Chess Forum

Might be best to keep the discussion general now that this specific case has been decided. Or even stop the discussion as it still has the potential to get quite political!

There is hope!

David Williams wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:04 pm

Do the rest of the family all have to leave when he is 18?

I was under the impression that the only reason Shreyas, and other family members, were able to live in England was because his father had a visa entitling him to work in this country and bring his family with him (which I assume means wife and children). Perhaps the question to ask then is what happens when Shreyas reaches an age when he no longer meets the criteria for being a family member (assuming his father still has a visa when that happens)? Presumably, the answer is that he needs to make an application to remain in this country in his own right, or leave. He would also have to decide whether he wanted to stay if it was then unlikely that his father would be able to extend his visa again, so he'd be here on his own, with the rest of his family back in India.

I'm not as expert in Uk immigration law as I was 10 years ago when I had a lot of India contractors. But in my opinion, one reason that visa renewal seems harder than an initial visa is that typically people then have long enough residence to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

I was initially surprised that this was approved - although very pleasantly. I'm not sure an established top 100 Gm would get in, let alone someone with potential. But then it occured to me that nothing in the Guardian article indicates the decision was influenced by chess (at least formally).

Still, I look forward to Justin's blog praising the Tory media insiders on the ECF board and their friend Ray for influencing the government

LawrenceCooper wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:15 pm

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... are_btn_fb

BBC

Paul Cooksey wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:52 pm

Still, I look forward to Justin's blog praising the Tory media insiders on the ECF board and their friend Ray for influencing the government

Do be careful, you scamp, or he'll be digging around in your dustbins next

As I understand it from the family, Jitendra is being granted another five-year Tier 2 visa without having to leave the country first. At the end of the ten years he can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain and, after a further year, for citizenship. Shreyas will be 14-15 at that time, so the problems suggested by Ian Thompson above should not arise.

Leonard Barden wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:12 pm

Shreyas will be 14-15 at that time, so the problems suggested by Ian Thompson above should not arise

Let's hope other 'problems' don't arise meanwhile. As every parent knows, charming and thoroughly biddable 10-year olds, expressing huge latent promise, can turn within a few years into surly, truculent teenagers who spend their waking hours locked in their rooms. They usually turn out OK, for sure, but not always as an extension of that 10-year old.

He is registered to play in the European Chamionships starting in 10 days time:

http://chess-results.com/tnr367947.aspx?lan=1

Paul Cooksey wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:52 pm

I'm not as expert in Uk immigration law as I was 10 years ago when I had a lot of India contractors. But in my opinion, one reason that visa renewal seems harder than an initial visa is that typically people then have long enough residence to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

I was initially surprised that this was approved - although very pleasantly. I'm not sure an established top 100 Gm would get in, let alone someone with potential. But then it occured to me that nothing in the Guardian article indicates the decision was influenced by chess (at least formally).

Still, I look forward to Justin's blog praising the Tory media insiders on the ECF board and their friend Ray for influencing the government

Nothing to do with the two Labour MPs (one a former girls chess international?) who championed his case then

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:14 pm

Might be best to keep the discussion general now that this specific case has been decided. Or even stop the discussion as it still has the potential to get quite political!

Prescient.

More light thrown on the decision from The Times this evening. Plenty of interesting quotes too

TEXT START
Home Office lifts stalemate so chess prodigy Shreyas Royal can stay

An Indian chess prodigy and his family will be allowed to stay in Britain after the Home Office had a sudden change of heart over whether to recognise his exceptional talent. The father of Shreyas Royal, nine, said that the boy was jumping for joy on the family’s sofa after an official contacted them today. Jitendra Singh, whose five-year work visa was due to expire next month without any prospect of renewal, said that he understood that the change was ordered by Sajid Javid, the home secretary, after press coverage, including a leader in The Times.

Nigel Short, the British grandmaster who is best remembered for his world title battle with Garry Kasparov in 1993, described the decision as “brilliant”. Shreyas is considered by the English Chess Federation to be “far and away the most promising talent we’ve seen in this country since Nigel Short in the 1980s”. He achieved the status of “candidate master” at the age of six and experts believe that he could attain the title of grandmaster by the age of 12 — a feat only achieved twice before.

Mr Singh and his family were due to leave the UK in the middle of September when his five-year intra company transfer visa, which allows no route to permanent settlement in the UK, expired. He is now to stay and apply under the Tier 2 skilled worker visa route which allows a total of 20,700 non EEA skilled workers to enter the UK. The decision to allow the family to stay is understood to have been taken because of the “exceptional circumstances” of the case. The Home Office confirmed that Mr Singh’s visa application would be sponsored by Tata, the company for which he works as an IT project manager, and that the government would waive its usual requirement to apply from outside the country.

Asked why he thought the Home Office changed their minds, Mr Singh said: “They had a discussion that went to the high level. They said that the home secretary intervened in our case and they have decided that they will allow us on the exceptional talent visa. I’m very happy because we’re allowed to stay here and Shreyas can continue his journey in chess. Before today we were in a very kind of [difficult] situation and we were not able to plan what we had to do for that. I would like to thank the home secretary and the Home Office for considering our case. I got an email from the deputy director of the Home Office. My company is going to issue a new form by Monday, so by next week we can file the application.”

Asked whether he had told Shreyas, Mr Singh said that his son was “very happy”. He added: “He jumped up on the sofa. It’s fantastic, and thanks to you guys for covering our story. Because of you guys it is possible. The [Home Office] said that a lot of media is covering the story — because of that the home secretary needed to intervene.”

Dominic Lawson, the journalist and president of the English Chess Federation, said that it was an enlightened decision. “We’re thrilled that our efforts to persuade the government have succeeded, along with help from papers like The Times. “I’m particularly grateful to the home secretary because he may not have been aware of the original decision [not to allow Shreyas to stay]. It shows that chess is now regarded as something of serious cultural interest. Someone who is exceptional at chess will be recognised in the same way as an artist or an athlete.”

It is thought to be the first time that the Home Office has considered a child’s abilities under its “exceptional talent” rules.

Mr Lawson added: “Chess is a little bit like mathematics or playing a musical instrument in that talent can be seen at a young age. I suspect that Shreyas will bring great honour to this country and it will be seen to have been a very good decision for the country as a whole.”

Mr Short said: “I am delighted. One of our problems for quite a while has been a shortage of good junior players. If you look at English chess now, in the senior category of over 50s we’ve got an awful lot of good players because we had an exceptional generation, but there has been a relative absence of talented juniors. So it’s great that we’re going to be able to keep one.”
TEXT END

Afterword

This piece has already attracted a relatively large number of 'BTL' comments. A sizeable minority are hostile. But the majority wish Shreyas well; and congratulate the Home Office on getting it right for once. These attract by far the greater number of 'likes'.

It was The Times wot won it

Interview with Shreyas featuring Danny Gormally on Today programme this morning. IPlayer about 1.18.30 in.

David Robertson wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 10, 2018 9:39 pm

Plenty of interesting quotes too

The next fight might be over the Iranian lad who was sanctioned for agreeing to play an Israeli in Gibraltar. His older sister was also sanctioned for refusing to follow dress codes. He's now ENG on the FIDE rating list and top or second in the age related list. I understand he's at an English (boarding) school which buys a few years grace and presumably could apply to attend a UK university. But what after that?