Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy on Friday said the US increasing the fee of H1B and L1 visas will not impact the Indian IT industry. Such things, however, should be discussed, he added.

Murthy pointed out that the value of the Indian IT services industry for the US is so high that it cannot be ignored. “These issues will not come in the way of the growth of the Indian IT industry. I do not think imposing special fee of up to $4,500 on H1B and L1 visas should be much of a concern,” he told reporters here after meeting Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

What matters “$4,000 or $2,000 does not matter because the important thing is you have to provide excellent value to the customer. And, I believe the Indian IT industry is providing that already,” he said.

He further said the US government has the right to impose any rule it chooses.

The US Congress has imposed a special fee of up to $4,500 on the H1B and L1 visas — which are popular among Indian IT companies — to fund a 9/11 healthcare act and biometric tracking system. The legislation is part of a must-pass omnibus spending bill released on December 16 and the Congress is voting on this shortly, following which it will go to the Senate and then the President for assent.

Domestic software body Nasscom has expressed disappointment over the move. The US legislation is estimated to cost the Indian tech sector about $400 million annually apart from challenging its competitiveness.

When asked about if he can become a mentor or consultant for the Digital India project, Murthy said: “I am retired now, but I am always there for whatever advice the Minister wants from me.”

Murthy also praised Prasad for the initiatives taken by his Ministry for the IT industry.

“Looking at things that he has done in the last 15-16 months, I personally feel he is the finest IT and Communications Minister that we have had,” he said.

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