US President to address US visa issues during India visit
by Guneet S - November 8, 2010
India, 8th November: The US President Barack Obama is likely to clear the stand of his country on the US visa issues during his current visit to India.
Among the key subjects to be discussed between India and the US include several changes to the US visa rules which has become a cause of great concern for the Indian IT companies.
It may be worth mentioned that the US government had increased the cost of US H-1B visas and US L1 visas by US $2000 for American companies involved in hiring foreign professionals. And the main motive of this move by the US administration was to discourage current levels of US immigration.
For many past years, the American companies were found to be hiring relatively cheap skilled professionals from foreign nations, especially India, to seek replacement of domestic US workforce.
Hence, several Indian IT firms including TCS (Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.) have been waiting for the US President’s visit to India for sorting out issues of protectionism towards companies involved in software services.
CEO (chief executive officer) of TCS, Natarajan Chandrasekaran stated during a conference held in Amsterdam on October 28 that the issues of regulatory changes are of great concern for the IT industry and the visit of Barack Obama to India will likely reduce such tensions.
The US Senate had passed the bill in August for adding $2000 towards US visa fees for firms having more than 50 percent of their workforce in the US on US H-1B visas or US L1 visas. And such increases, if implemented, would result in $250 million per year for Indian IT firms including Infosys and TCS, said Som Mittal, president of Nasscom, an Indian industry trade group.
Obama, who is on an official visit to India these days, will have talks with Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, to help nurture stronger bilateral relations between the two countries. This visit by Obama is quite strategic and the trip is being seen to bring both the nations closer than ever before, said Chandrasekaran.
Earlier on November 6, the US President addressed a US-India Business Council in Mumbai.
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