However, Ms. Biswal said that the relationship between India and the United States is very deep and wide.
Washington:
The temporary suspension of the H-1B visa and other non-immigrant visas by President Donald Trump as well as other restrictive immigration policies are detrimental to the United States and its economy, said President D ‘a large American business advocacy group.
“This (the proclamation) is unfortunate,” Nisha Desai Biswal, President of the US India Business Council (USIBC), told PTI.
President Trump issued a proclamation earlier this week to suspend the issuance of H-1B visas, popular among Indian IT professionals, as well as other foreign work visas for the rest of the year.
The President has argued that this step is essential in helping the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs due to the current economic crisis. However, the American chambers of commerce and the USIBC do not agree.
“I think the United States has benefited greatly over the years from successive waves of immigration and more specifically from the skilled workers who entered these H-1B and L-1 visas which allowed the necessary talent to enter and increase American workers in support of technology fields, “said Ms. Biswal.
Ironically, many companies that use H-1B workers also use and create training programs to create integrated teams that can take on the work. And it can lead to more American workers acquiring the skills needed for these jobs, she said. “So by reducing the program, I think it will actually hinder the qualification of American workers to be able to fill many of these jobs,” said Biswal.
“The challenge that companies face is that the job has to be done and the companies that provide IT services and the companies that use that talent, if the talent is not available in the United States, I’m afraid the jobs will really offshore, “she said.
There are other countries that are competing to attract some of this investment and bring these workers as a competitor to the United States, she said. Observing that the U.S. is a hub of innovation and talent, she noted that Trump’s work visa policy would only hurt U.S. competitiveness, hinder economic investment and have a counterproductive effect.
“The United States has been able to grow and lead research and development of innovation because we have been able, for decades and decades, to tap the best and the brightest from around the world,” said she said.
Quoting the statement of US Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue after Trump’s proclamation, Ms. Biswal said: “Like our CEO, Tom Donohue, said if we put a” not welcome “sign on our door, I think it will affect America. “The ability to be as great as it is in terms of our society and the economy.”
The USIBC is one of the American chambers of commerce.
However, Ms. Biswal said that the relationship between India and the United States is very deep and wide.
“So while this (visa policy) certainly does not support the US-India relationship, I think the relationship is strong enough and important enough that the two countries can withstand any individual setbacks. We have seen it time and time again times, “she said.
