India on Thursday said U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend certain non-immigrant categories of visas till December 31, 2020 will affect movement of skilled Indian professionals. The Official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava said high skilled Indians bring important skills to the U.S. that “impart a competitive edge to the U.S. economy”.
He maintained that India is assessing the impact on the industry and Indian nationals and is in consultation with all stakeholders.
“This is likely to affect movement of Indian skilled professionals who avail of these non-immigrant visa programmes to work lawfully in the US," said Mr Srivastava.
The MEA reminded the U.S. of the importance of maintaining openness in its visa policies for qualified professionals and highlighted the importance of people-to-people relationship and trade cooperation in shaping the bilateral relationship.
“US has always welcomed talent and we hope our professionals will continue to be welcomed in the US in the future,” said Mr. Srivastava, explaining that the U.S. was also a beneficiary of the services provided by these Indian professionals over the years.
“They have also been a critical component of the workforce that is at the forefront of providing COVID-19 related assistance in key sectors, including health, information technology and financial services,” he said.
