Biden’s visa Bill to help many Indians
Washington, Feb. 19: In a major move that will benefit hundreds and thousands of Indian IT professionals in the US, the Biden administration has introduced an ambitious immigration bill in Congress which among other things proposes to eliminate the per-country cap for employmentbased green cards.
The US Citizenship Act of 2021 proposes a pathway to citizenship to 11 million undocumented workers, elimination of per country quota for employment-based green cards and work authorisation for dependents of H-1B foreign workers.
The legislation would also benefit thousands of Indian IT professionals.
Washington, Feb.19: US President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday offered talks with Iran led by European allies and reversed two largely symbolic steps against Tehran imposed by Donald Trump, as it sought to salvage a nuclear deal on the brink of collapse.
Three days before Iran’s deadline to restrict some access to UN nuclear inspectors without an end to Trump’s sanctions, new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned jointly with European powers that the move would be “dangerous.” Hours after Blinken’s videoconference with his French, British and German counterparts, the European Union political director, Enrique Mora, proposed via Twitter an “informal meeting” involving Iran — and the United States accepted.
“The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
The P5 — Security
Council powers Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany sealed the 2015 deal brokered by then president Barack Obama under which Iran drastically scaled back its nuclear program in exchange for promises of economic relief.
Former president Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed sweeping sanctions, aiming to bring Iran to its knees.
It remains to be seen if Iran will also be willing to sit down with the United States. It has demanded an end to Trump’s sanctions before reversing protest measures it took away from full compliance.
A senior US official said the Biden administration was showing good faith and saw a meeting as the start of a “prolonged path” to restoring and building on the nuclear accord.
If Iran declines to meet, “I think it would be both unfortunate and at odds with their stated view that they want to come back if you come back.
“That’s not going to happen simply by one side telling the other one what to do,” the official said on condition of anonymity.