Anand Sharma raises visa issues with US lobby

Commerce & industry minister Anand Sharma has expressed his concern over the discriminatory elements in the US legistation on immigration reforms during his meeting with the US Chamber of Commerce chairman Steve Van Andel on Monday.

The discriminatory measures related to skilled non-immigrant visas will affect the competitiveness of the Indian IT industry in US, Sharma said.

Indian companies support over 280,000 jobs in the US and have contributed over $15 billion to the US Treasury in the last five years and investments of more than $5 billion have been made in the last five years alone, by way of acquisitions, commerce department said in a statement after Sharma met Andel. Andel conveyed to the minister that the US Chamber is on the “same page” on the issue and there is need to be more vocal about the ill effects of the proposed legislation.

“Sharma expressed his concern over the discriminatory measures related to skilled nonimmigrant visas in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill passed by the US Senate...elements of the Bill will undermine the competitiveness of Indian IT businesses in the US,” the statement said.

According to estimates, the provisions of the Bill would double visa-related costs for Indian companies and restrict the ability of Indian software firms to send engineers on H1B visas to client locations for crucial outsourcing projects.

Indian IT companies have contributed enormously to the US economy through job creation and enhanced competitiveness of their clients, which included some of the US’ largest businesses, Sharma was quoted to have said. Sharma sought American investment in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project and National Manufacturing Investment Zones.

Andel evinced the US’ interest in investment in these regions.