Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has held talks with the American Government regarding revival of H-1B and L1 Visas;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the details of outcome of the discussions?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]
(a) to (c) The H-1B and L-1 work visa programmes in the US continue to remain in place.
There are proposals under consideration in the U.S. to reform the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes. However, so far, no comprehensive changes have been made.
In the current (115th) Congress, six Bills relating to H-1B and L-1 visa programmes have been introduced by individual congressmen and senators. However, so far, none of these Bills have been passed.
On the Executive side, on April 18, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) titled “Buy American and Hire American”, which requires different arms of the U.S. Administration to suggest reforms to the H-1B visa programme. This process is still underway. The US Administration has also taken some steps towards stricter enforcement and prevention of abuse of the work visa programmes.
Government of India remains closely engaged with the U.S. Administration and the U.S. Congress on issues relating to mobility of Indian skilled professionals, including through H-1B and L-1 visa programmes. This issue was discussed recently during EAM’s meetings with the US Secretary of State in New York and Delhi on September 21 and October 25 respectively; at the Ministerial Trade Policy Forum (October 26) and Commercial Dialogue (October 27); as well as during Finance Minister’s meetings with Commerce and Treasury Secretaries during his visits to USA in October 2017. It was also a subject of discussion in our engagements with the visiting US Congressional delegations and Governors. In our engagements, we have emphasized that Indian skilled professionals have contributed to the growth and development of the U.S. economy and have helped the U.S. retain its competitive edge and innovation advantage. They are a big stakeholder in India-U.S. relations and their backward linkages to India have helped U.S. businesses.