The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons today expressed concern over immigration officials' alleged ''lack of control'' over Indian and other non-European Union workers entering Britain through the Inter-Company Transfer (ICT) route.

Many Indian IT companies use this route to transfer staff to offices in Britain.
Since this route is not subject to the annual cap on the number of non-EU migrants, tens of thousands of IT workers have migrated to Britain through this route.

Margaret Hodge, chairperson of the committee, said: "Most workers enter through this route and, for instance, tens of thousands of IT workers have been brought in through intra-company transfers at a time when UK residents with IT skills are struggling to find work".

Several Indian IT companies figure in the list of top 10 companies that use the ICT route to post employees in Britain.

According to the Home Office, Tata Consultancy services (TCS) tops the list, while others are Indian companies or those in the US or elsewhere with significant presence in India.