India expresses concerns over US Immigration Reforms Bill
India has raised its "strong" concerns over the US' proposed Immigration Reforms Bill saying that it would adversely impact domestic IT industry, Parliament was informed today.
August 07, 2013 / 22:12 IST
India has raised its "strong" concerns over the US' proposed Immigration Reforms Bill saying that it would adversely impact domestic IT industry, Parliament was informed today.
The issues came up for discussion during the recent visit of Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma to the US.
Also read: Will House edit of Immigration Bill calm Indian IT fears? In meetings with US Trade Representative, US Commerce Secretary and other representatives of industry and business, Sharma has "expressed India's strong concerns over the proposed US Immigration Reforms Bill and its adverse impact on the Indian IT industry".
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Sharma said that he has conveyed that the temporary movement of skilled professionals should not be equated with immigration.
He said that no agreement was proposed by the Indian government as the bill is pending before the US Congress. The bill, which was passed by the US Senate, and is before the House of Representatives, proposes several changes including higher visa costs and increase in wages for H-1B visa holders.
If passed by the House of Representatives, the Bill will be sent to President Barack Obama for signing it into law. The proposed law will hurt the over USD 100 billion IT-ITeS industry in India and software firms such as TCS and Infosys as their cost of operations could go up significantly. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
