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India has asked the US to consider extending the visas of Indian students and professionals in the country as the fast spreading Covid-19 had made travelling difficult.
The issue of extension of visas was raised by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a teleconference with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Tuesday where the two discussed ways to coordinate their efforts to respond to the Covid-19 crisis, according to a source aware of the details of the meeting.
Easing visa rules
“New Delhi basically wants that the H1B visas and student visas that may have expired in March or are about to expire in the coming months to be extended so that Indians can stay in the US without any concerns till the Covid-19 crisis is over,” the source told BusinessLine .
Combatting Covid-19
The two also talked about greater cooperation between the US, India and other close partners to strengthen global pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing and supply chains to tackle the Covid-19 crisis.
“He (Pompeo) also reiterated the United States’ unwavering commitment to work with India to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe,” according to US Department of State spokesperson Morgan Ortagus..
New Delhi had also made a case for building a global framework to enhance affordable access to medicines for fighting pandemics and facilitating easier movement of health professionals across national borders, at a meeting of the trade ministers of G20 nations on Monday.
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