London, Aug 21 - Indian IT and other professionals who are transferred to Britain by their companies may not be able to apply for citizenship if a recommendation made by a government-appointed advisory committee is accepted, a lobby group alleged Friday.

The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) Forum said the Migration Advisory Committee had recommended that skilled professionals who come to Britain on intra-company transfers should not be allowed to apply for British citizenship.

Amit Kapadia, executive director of HSMP Forum, said: 'We are very concerned on the Migration Advisory Committee's (MAC) recommendation on denying those coming on intra-company transfers under Tier 2 the right to settlement (permanent residence).'

Under Britain's points-based system of immigration, Tier 2 Work Permits are given to medium and highly skilled workers who have a confirmed offer of employment with a British company.

Intra-company transfers constitute 59 percent of people applying under Tier 2, and a majority of them are Indian professionals, mostly working in the IT sector. They are usually transferred for a three-year period, which can be extended to another three years.

Under current rules, immigrants who have lived lawfully in Britain for five years are considered for permanent residence status, which is the basis for applying for citizenship.