H-1B visa: US cannot afford to ignore India, says Nasscom

NEW DELHI: India’s apex IT industry lobby Nasscom has said the US just can’t afford to ignore India as it lacked the required skills.

The Nasscom made the observation amid diplomatic channels opening up in both the countries to discuss the issue of proposed curb on H-1B visa by the US and outsourcing work outside America by India.

The US grapples with the manpower challenges and faces serious STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) skill gap issues, said Shivendra Singh, vice president and head of global trade development, Nasscom.

Indian IT companies help the US in filling this gap, he said.

“There is a challenge on the supply side in the US. There is STEM-skill gap which has been acknowledged by all credible US sources. As per US department of labour, there will be 2.4 million unskilled STEM jobs by 2018 more than 50% in the computer and IT related area,” Singh said.

India is the biggest beneficiary of H-1B visas in the world with about 58% (majority from US) of the total global outsourcing business coming to it.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa in the US, which allows American employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. But India will not be affected alone if there is any H-1B visa restriction, industry leaders said, even the US will face manpower problem.

Senior IT industry leaders in India dared US President Donald J Trump to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s Swadeshi Movement launched in early 1900s. “Trump should follow Gandhi and tell people to boycott free credit cards and pay $150 and destroy free cards,” said Nasscom V-C Raman Roy, who is also the CMD of the Quatrro Global Services.

INDIA IS THE BIGGEST BENEFICIARY OF H1B VISAS IN THE WORLD WITH ABOUT 58% OF THE TOTAL GLOBAL OUTSOURCING BUSINESS COMING TO IT