According to President Obama, the Senate immigration reform bill would benefit Indian skilled workers in America. The H-1B visa provisions included in the Senate bill would benefit India, apart from benefiting the United States. A senior administration official told this to the reporters prior to the US Vice President Joe Biden’s trip to India.
A comprehensive immigration reform bill that was unveiled by the Gang of Eight and approved by the US Senate, is backed by the White House. This bill includes provisions that would benefit Indian workers who are looking forward to work in America. This bill would increase the annual H-1B visa cap for the highly skilled workers. At the same time, US employers would be permitted to hire only a certain number of H-1B workers.
Many IT companies in India and the government of India are against the killer provisions included in the Senate bill. According to the IT companies in India and National Association of Software Service Companies (NASSCOM), the Senate bill if passed would hurt the IT companies in India. Nevertheless, the Obama administration is not convinced with the views of the Indian government. It is believed that the Vice President would be able to convince the Indian government on this issue when he visits India.
The official told the reporters that a high number of workers who receive H-1B visas are from India. The expansion of this program would definitely benefit such workers. This would help several Indian university graduates to work in America temporarily and learn new skills. They could then bring those skills back to India.
The senior administration official told the reporters that the United States consults with India on issues related to Afghanistan and that India supports institutions of the Afghan State. He stated that the role that India plays is an important one and that India contributes to regional peace and stability.