India has urged the US to take a ‘balanced and sensitive’ view on the issue of proposed changes in America's H-1B visa policy as this could effect the people-to-people links that are crucial for energising bilateral ties. During the first 2+2 dialogue between the two countries, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj sought US Secretary of State Micheal Pompeo’s support for nurturing people-to-people exchanges.
Sushma Swaraj stated that in view of the friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, Indians feel the US will not do anything against their interests. She said “I have asked him (Pompeo) that he should make sure that people continue to have this confidence.” Besides, the ministers of both countries highlighted the unmatched people-to-people ties between their countries and recognised the benefits to both nations and the world from these ties, including the free flow of ideas and collaboration in health, space, oceans, and other areas of science and technology.
The H1B visa is an employment-based, non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. The Trump administration is pushing for a reform of the H-1B system, saying some IT companies were abusing the US work visas to deny jobs to American workers. However, the US had recently extended by over five months the temporary suspension of premium processing for H1-B visas, popular among Indian IT professionals, as part of its efforts to clear the backlog.