Auckland, July 11 -- Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said that immigration was the most misunderstood part of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The Ministry differentiated between immigration and 'mobility of skilled manpower', with commitments for the latter already put in the FTA.

Addressing a special media briefing during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to New Zealand, Secretary (East) in the MEA, Rudrendra Tandon said that visas are a sovereign decision of a country.

"So on the issue of immigration, there is a lot of misunderstanding. The FTA is not an agreement for immigration. Immigration and mobility of skilled manpower are two different issues altogether. The commitments that were crafted in the FTA pertain to...