Ahead Of High-Level Talks With India, US Says "No Change" For H-1B Visas

Washington: There has been no change in the processing of H-1B visas, the Trump Administration has said ahead of next week’s two-plus-two dialogue between India and the US, during which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is expected to raise the issue.

“We are already raising the issue formally at various fora. We are speaking on it with the White House, with state administration as well as with Congressmen… We will raise it humbly at the 2+2 dialogue on September 6 in New Delhi,” Sushma Swaraj had told the Rajya Sabha last month.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior official of the Trump Administration acknowledged that it was prepared for India raising the H-1B issue at the high-level 2+2 dialogue, but added that it would not have much to say as the policy remained the same and was undergoing review.

“The Trump Administration’s executive order has called for a broad review of the US worker visa programme known as H-1B in the interest of ensuring that they are administered in a way that doesn’t disadvantage US workers or wages,” the official said.

“But there has been no change to the processing of H-1B visas. So it’s really impossible for me to speculate on the outcome and any possible changes to the system. It is obviously an issue that is important to India,” the official added.