BackH1B visa issue: US says it values investments by Indian companies
Addressing H1B visa issue, US state department says it values Indian companies' continued investment in the US economy that supports thousands of US jobs
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Washington: Days after finance minister Arun Jaitley raised the issue of restrictions on H1B visa with his American counterpart Steven Mnuchin, the US has said that it greatly values investments by Indian companies and wants strong economic ties between the two nations.
“We want to see US-India business-to-business ties remain strong," state department acting spokesman Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday. He was responding to questions on the ongoing review of H1B visas by the Donald Trump administration and its impact on the Indian IT companies, who are heavily dependent on it.
Also Read: H-1B visa issue: Govt says in talks with US
“We greatly value Indian companies’ continued investment in the US economy, which also, of course, supports thousands of US jobs," Toner said. “With respect to any new requirements on visas, I’d have to check and see if that’s been updated," he said, adding that under the current government, the US has been looking at ways to strengthen the processes like visa interview and admission processes in new ways.
Toner said that it’s been from the beginnings of this administration and certainly with respect to immigration and with refugee flows as well. “Those processes are ongoing," he added. On being asked about the visa review process, Toner said, “It’s important to remember that this is always a part of how our consular bureau works and our consular officers work overseas, and our embassies and missions work overseas, and that is we’re always reviewing the processes that are in place to issue these visas and finding ways to strengthen them, because we want to ensure the security of the American people,".
Also Read: How the end of H1B visa lottery could impact Infosys, TCS, Cognizant
During his US visit, Jaitley on Sunday raised the H1B issue with Mnuchin as India fears the curb would impact the movement of Indian IT professionals to America and highlighted the contribution Indian companies and professionals are making to the US economy.
The development came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H1B visa programme to stop its ‘abuse’ and ensure that the visas are given to the ‘most-skilled or highest paid’ petitioners, a decision that would impact India’s $150 billion IT industry. PTI
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