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India is planning a massive sensitisation programme and advertisement blitzkrieg in the US in an effort to inform American citizens of the contributions made by companies there as part of the H-1B and L1 visa programmes, even as the Centre continues to hold a dialogue with the Trump administration.
All these will be part of a comprehensive action plan the government is chalking out to counter US President Donald Trump’s move to impose restrictions on H-1B professional visas.
Group effortThe Ministry of External Affairs has sought a detailed report from other ministries in an effort to strengthen its argument against the move.
“The government is working on an action plan to counter every argument the US has against the use of H1-B. We are now planning to directly approach the US Congress with all the details necessary, through diplomatic channels. The government is hopeful its arguments will be heard as we enjoy bipartisan support there,” said a top officialinvolved in the talks, requesting anonymity.
The official also said that apart from Indian IT bellwethers, a number of American firms from across sectors such as technology, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing, are also raising their voice against the US government’s decision to restrict the H-1B visa programme.
The Centre is also planning to compile a detailed report with the head of Nasscom, on the contributions made by the Indian IT industry towards the development of US economy under the H-1B visa programme, said another official.
The Indian Embassy in the US is believed to have sought an “early date” from the US government for a meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Minister of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman had said on Monday that once the current session of Parliament gets over, she will be convening a meeting with Nasscom to discuss the issue’s impact on the Indian industry.
Nasscom has already announced that it will be sending a delegation to Washington later this month to discuss the matter.
Executive orderTrump is planning to soon sign an executive order that seeks to overhaul America’s H-1B visa programme, of which the Indian IT sector is the biggest user. The legislation proposes to double the minimum wage of H-1B workers to $130,000 from $60,000 at present.
“The curbs on H-1B will affect India’s outsourcing and IT companies,” said Sarosh Zaiwalla, founder and Senior Partner of law firm Zaiwalla & Co.
“There is no clear indication yet on his (Trump’s) overall plan for the larger economic partnership between the two countries; but if he goes ahead with implementing the protectionist measures in the US to favour local trade over global trade, Indian business can face a bottleneck situation. This might potentially make it hard for Indians to achieve the ‘American Dream’.”
The US is considering another bill that seeks to impose restrictions on companies hiring H-1B/L1 visa holders if more than 50 per cent of their employees are already H-1B/L1 workers.
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