India and US immigration to discuss liberalisation of work visas
October 27 2009 by Liam Clifford
US policy on work visas is under scrutiny by Indian officials
India is set to push the US for more liberal US work visa terms as
part of the two nations’ bilateral trade forum.
US trade representative
Ron Kirk says that the US and India agreed at Monday’s trade forum that the two
countries will intensify cooperation in terms of liberalising trade and
investment.
Kirk also took the opportunity to assure India’s commerce and
industry minister, Anand Sharma, that his department will bring up the issue of
a more liberal US visa regime for Indian businesspeople who need to come and
work in the UK or make business trips to the US. Kirk says he will take up the
issue with the US immigration department on his return to the UK.
Sharma
reminded Kirk that Indian IT firms in the US have added much to the economy and
have generated employment for US citizens over recent years. Kirk told Sharma,
“we have made a note of India’s concerns and are going to certainly discuss it
with our colleagues [in the US immigration department].”
Recent
protectionist regulations brought in by Barack Obama in response to the
recession have made it more difficult for US firms to use US work visas to
appoint skilled foreigners.
See the latest Immigration News
