NEW DELHI: As the US plans major changes in H-1B visas, India has said it was “closely engaged” with the Trump administration as well as the US Congress on the matter.
The comment by the Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came after Washington said it is planning to “revise” the definition of employment and specialty occupations under the H-1B visas by January, a move which will have an adverse impact on Indian IT companies in the US.
“It is a very important topic for us and that is the reason why time and again, at different levels, we have taken up the matter with the US side. Most recently, it was discussed and mentioned during the two-plus-two talks,” MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
He said India is closely engaged with the Trump administration as well as the US Congress on the matter.
“It is indeed correct that the administration has taken measures to prevent abuse of this program and there are certain bills which have been introduced,” Kumar said. “I think what we get to hear are the provisions from those bills, but it is important to note that none of these bills have been passed so far,” he added.
The MEA spokesperson said that, during discussions, India conveyed to the US the contribution made to the growth and development of the US economy by the highly skilled Indian professionals.
The H-1B visa, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. PTI
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