Reacting to US President Donald Trump signing an executive order reviewing the H-1B visa programme in a move that is likely to affect Indian techies, the government on Wednesday night said it was in touch with Washington on the matter and was also making full assessment of the impact of the proposed changes in consultation with all stakeholders.
Also in the case of Australia, which had on Tuesday announced abolishing of a temporary work visa popular with Indians, the same approach was being followed with the government being in touch with the government of that country.
According to MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay, the government's foreign policy has facilitated expansion of workforce within the country through flagship programmes such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Digital India’, by delivering large technological partnerships and enhanced Foreign Direct Investment.
He recalled that the government had agreed with the Government of France last year to allow Indian students at Masters Level and above to extend their stay in France for two years.
Insofar as H1-B visas were concerned, the cap has remained at 65,000 since December 2004 when the H1-B Visa Reform Act of 2004 was enacted by the US Congress, he noted.
The changes announced by the Government of Australia recently replace one scheme with another. "Senior Australian officials have conveyed to us that the impact of the changes will be negligible on Indian workers, most of whom fall in high skill category," the spokesperson explained.