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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  John Chambers backs India move to take up H1-B issue at WTO
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John Chambers backs India move to take up H1-B issue at WTO

The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for individuals with a US Master's degree or higher are exempt from the 65,000 cap

John Chambers says now is the right time to do a start-up as the inflection point has just happened in India. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/MintPremium
John Chambers says now is the right time to do a start-up as the inflection point has just happened in India. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

New Delhi: Even as US presidential hopeful Donald Trump escalates the campaign to end H1-B visas, John Chambers, executive chairman of Cisco, has backed India’s move to take the matter to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

India has filed a complaint before WTO against the US’s decision to impose high fees on temporary visas for highly skilled workers, a move that makes Indian IT companies less competitive in that market.

“My view is that our two countries should be strongest allies in the world," Chambers said. “This is an emotional time during the election year. So, I very much understand and it is very logical to everybody and the government to bring this to the World Trade Organization and say let us work it out."

“You have to understand politics. In the US right now, it is an emotional issue. The middle class in America has not seen appreciation in economic life in over 15 years. So, the people talk about job losses, global trade agreements or H-1B issues," Chambers said.

However, he maintained that his company, which is one of the largest users of such visas, remains committed to get the best talent.

Trump has often criticized the H1-B visa programme, saying it is snatching jobs away from the Americans. He has even vowed to get jobs back from Indians and Chinese, in one his speeches.

However, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said this year it expects to receive more than 65,000 petitions during the first five business days of this year’s programme, Business Insider reported on 17 March. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for individuals with a US Master’s degree or higher are exempt from the 65,000 cap. The US will start taking H-1B applications from 1 April.

Chambers also said he supports the concept of Net neutrality, adding policies on the subject should be in tandem with changing technologies.

“Regulators and law makers have to understand that the decisions that they make today can’t be the decisions that they would have made few years ago... They have to be educated about the implications and eventual fallouts," he said.

Separately, Cisco on Friday also said it will invest $100 million in the country to promote India’s digitization programme. Of this, $40 million will also be used to fund early, growth-stage companies in the country. Cisco has picked up stakes in more than 20 start-ups in the country.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a series of initiatives under the “Digital India", “Skill India", and “Startup India" schemes to connect millions of Indians to the Internet, create more tech jobs and move more services online.

Chambers said the company will work with various governments to launch incubation centers for entrepreneurs and training students.

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Published: 19 Mar 2016, 01:28 AM IST
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