US yet to adopt policy to curb visas, talks on

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 30

Allaying concerns on the future of Indian IT professionals working in the US, the government today said the US administration had not implemented any policy yet to curb jobs.

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha that India was closely monitoring developments there. It was also in talks with the Trump administration and US Congressmen. Also addressing members’ concerns about the safety of African students in the country, she said the newly anointed Yogi Adityanath government in UP had been asked to conduct an “impartial” probe into alleged attacks on Nigerian students in the state.

The issues— racial attacks on African students in Greater Noida and whether India had recently held any talks with the US over visa restrictions for Indian workers—were raised as a special mention in the Zero Hour and the Question Hour. Responding to concerns expressed by members over the Trump administration’s attempts to curb H1B visas, the minister said: “I do agree that there is an atmosphere of uncertainty and there is a fear of job losses.” However, “there is no policy announced by them (the US) yet. Four Bills have come up in the (US) Congress on visa restrictions, but no one has been passed yet. We are talking to the US administration and Congressmen,” she said.

She said Indian officials were arguing their case with data and reasoning. Indian firms, she said, invested $2 billion in the US between 2011 and 2015 and paid taxes worth $20 billion, while Indian IT professionals contributed $7 billion as social security money.

“We are only telling them this is a mutually-beneficial partnership. If you break this, even you will be at a loss,” she said, adding that Indian IT companies had given direct employment to 1,56,000 Americans and 4.11 lakh supporting jobs and the US recognises their contribution to its economy.