India favours increased predictability in H1-B visas

 

New Delhi: India has conveyed its stand in favour of “increasing predictability in the (American) visa regime” to the United States, adding that the “People-to-people relationship is an important foundation of the special relationship between India and the US which should be nurtured”, New Delhi said on Thursday, in the latest indication of concerns in India over any restrictions in grant of visas by the US that benefit Indian professionals including in the IT sector.  

At his weekly briefing, the MEA Spokesperson said, “People-to-people relationship is an important foundation of the special relationship between India and the US.  In our engagements, we have emphasised that this has been a mutually-beneficial partnership which should be nurtured. We are engaged with the U.S. Government for increasing predictability in the visa regime and to minimise the inconvenience being faced by those in the U.S. or those who need to travel to the U.S. for bonafide reasons. Government of India will continue to monitor any developments on this issue.”

In response to another question on whether India’s development of the Chabahar port in Iran came up for discussion at the recent Indo-US 2+2 Dialogue at the foreign and defence ministerial level amid US sanctions on Iran, the MEA Spokesperson said the US “appreciated” the trade linkages between Chabahar and Afghanistan. The Iranian sea-port of Chabahar has proved crucial for India as it provides sea-land connectivity to Afghanistan bypassing the land route through Pakistan.

According to media reports, the US plans to scrap the computerised lottery system to grant H-1B work visas to foreign technology professionals and replace it with a new system based on wage level in order to counter the downward pressure on the wages of US workers.