Caught in the visa vice

The US Citizens and Immigration Services agency has been taking positions that make it more and more difficult for individuals to migrate. Indian professionals have long benefited from the H-1B visas that allow them to work in the US. Persons who get H-1B visas are highly skilled workers. So are most of their spouses, who are given H-4 visas. President Barak Obama had liberally allowed such visa holders to work in the US too, and as a result, many of the highly skilled spouses of H-1B visa holders are now working and contributing to the US economy. The USCIS is actively considering revoking the permission to work for such individuals, an overwhelming majority of them women. An estimated 80,000-1,00,000 persons would thus be affected; so would the companies and communities that were benefiting from their expertise, and the taxes that they paid.

This year, the truncated H-1B visa quota was filled up in just four days, even as the total number of applications has decreased significantly. The USCIS has imposed stringent conditions, increased the paperwork and also for the first time announced that the initial visa would not be for three years. In some cases, it could be granted for less time too. The initial hope that President Donald Trump would tone down from the electioneering rhetoric has been belied. The USCIS has quoted the President’s “Buy American, Hire American” Executive Order in its letter on the H-4 visas. Protectionism and anti-immigrant positions have been central to the Trump arrangement, but they are both inimical to the principles that shaped the most powerful democracy in the world.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has rightly pointed out that H1-B visa holders drive innovation and help build and strengthen the US economy. The bond between the largely Indian H-1B visa holders and the US tech companies is strong and one that is mutually beneficial. The decrease in the number of applications and anecdotal evidence indicate a drop in interest from fresh Indian visa seekers. As for those who are already there, as a general principle, it is neither wise nor fair to revoke permissions once granted. The spouses of H-1B visa holders are there to stay in the US for the designated period, allowing them to contribute both to their individual well-being and the society they serve.