NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi has urged the US to take a “reflective, balanced and far-sighted” perspective on the movement of skilled professionals, indicating India’s discomfort with the Trump administration’s intent to curb H-1B visas.
The PM raised the issue during his interaction with US Congress members on Tuesday and he suggested that restrictions on professionals would be an unwelcome step. This is the first time that Modi’s concerns in this case have been made public and point to a divergence with one of President Donald Trump’s much-discussed campaign promises.
PM hails Indians’ role in enriching US economy
The PM said Indian professionals contributed to the US economy and were law-abiding and socially integrated residents, a statement that underlines that H-1B visas are not a one-way street where only the visitors benefit.
A PMO statement said Modi “shared his perspective on areas where both countries can work even more closely, including in facilitating greater people-to-people linkages that have over the years helped contribute to each other’s prosperity. In this context, the Prime Minister referred to the role of skilled Indian talent in enriching the American economy and society. He urged developing a reflective, balanced and far-sighted perspective on movement of skilled professionals”.
As of now, Indian professionals are granted a large number of the visas that allow residence in the US for six years. Indian businesses, particularly in the technology sector, are likely to be affected by the sentiment that H1B visas are “abused” and often become a path to citizenship in the US. Some US commentators, however, feel the Trump administration sees companies, rather than the Indian government, responsible for such misuse, making differences more resolvable.
The PM’s intervention came even as a high-level team under the aegis of Nasscom, the National Association of Software and Services Companies, arrived in Washington DC to lobby with the administration and Congress against a tighter visa regime for guest workers that is seen as adversely impacting India. The Nasscom delegation is armed with studies and talking points showing Indian companies having generated more than 4,00,000 jobs in the US