India has stressed the importance of movement of skilled professionals between India and the US, saying it benefits both countries. This comes amid a heated debate over the H-1B visa, which has recently involved President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
In a recent post, Mr Musk defended the H-1B visa program on social media, saying, “I’m in America with so many important people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that have made America strong ” “H1B.”
“I will fight this issue in a way you can’t possibly understand,” he said.
The debate has exposed deep divisions among Mr Trump’s allies, with some supporting the H-1B visa program as necessary for the tech industry, while others seeing it as a threat to American jobs. Are. Mr Trump himself has expressed support for the program, despite previously signing an executive order to restrict access to such visas.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted the strong economic and technological partnership between the two countries, noting that mobility of skilled professionals is a key component. He emphasized that India-US economic relations benefit greatly from the technical expertise provided by these professionals, with both sides leveraging their strengths and competitive pricing.
Asked about the H-1B visa discussion in the US, Mr Jaiswal said at a press conference, “Our countries have a strong and growing economic and technological partnership and the mobility of skilled professionals is an important component in this framework.”
He said, “India-US economic relations greatly benefit from the technical expertise provided by skilled professionals, with both sides leveraging their strengths and competitive pricing. We look forward to further deepening India-US economic relations Which are for our mutual benefit.”
The numbers speak for themselves: India received about 78% of the 265,777 H1B visas issued by the US in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023. This underlines the important role of Indian professionals in the US tech industry.
Mr. Trump has expressed full support for the H-1B program, despite opposition from some of his supporters. Mr Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has also vowed to defend the program, saying he is willing to go to “war” over it.
As the US and India look to strengthen their ties under Mr Trump’s leadership, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has already met Mr Trump’s transition team. The country is keen to deepen its economic ties with the US, recognizing the mutual benefits arising from their partnership.
This development is part of a broader trend of growing US-India cooperation, with bilateral trade expected to grow by 7.65% to US$129 billion in 2022-23.
Ultimately, the movement of skilled professionals between India and the US is an important aspect of their economic and technological partnership. As both countries continue to navigate the complexities of this relationship, it is clear that mutual benefit and cooperation will remain a top priority.
