(Image source from: India to discuss vise fee hike issue with US})
India will take up discussions with the US concerning the recent decisions about vise fee hike, according to reports from the Hindu. Other retaliatory measures are also being considered by India, besides exploring the possibility to drag the US to the dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organisation, in case the talks fail.
America decided to double the fees for certain categories of H1B and L1 visas to $4,000 and $4,500 respectively. This decision concerning visa fee hike which will have a huge impact on Indian IT firms, was termed as “discriminatory” by Industry bodies FICCI and Nasscom. According to Nasscom the financial implications of the decision on the Indian technology sector is likely to be approximately $400 million per year.
US President Barack Obama recently signed into law a $1.8-trillion tax and spending Bill. The visa fee hike was among other things it hiked. The hike is applicable to companies employing over or equal to 50, and for those companies with more than 50% of employees on H1B and L1 visas, which are temporary work visas for skilled professionals, in the US.
A total of 161,369 H1B visas were issued in FY14, out of which 67.4% are grabbed by Indians. India is the largest user of H1B visas as well as L1 visas. While a total of 71,513 L1 visas were issued in FY14, 28.2% were given to Indians.
It is likely that Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman would write to Penny Pritzker, US Commerce Secretary. According to sources, India’s view would be put across by the Indian Ambassador to the US besides industry bodies like Nasscom, which are in touch with the US administration.
Also read: Schengen Visa Applicants Need To Enroll Biometric Data
-Sumana
