Nasscom lobbies for level fields on H1-B visa issue

A delegation of Indian IT industry body Nasscom has been trying to persuade the Donald Trump administration to position the whole India-US ICT (Information and Communications Technology) partnership in a broader context than just visas.

“The main objective of Nasscom’s meeting with the Trump administration is to highlight the contributions made by the Indian companies in the US,” said Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice-president, Nasscom.

Talking to this newspaper on the sidelines of Nasscom Diversity and Inclusion Summit 2017, Ms Gupta said that skilled labour mobility should not be confused with immigration. “The IT industry body has advocated skilled labour mobility, where workers visit the US for a temporary period of time and it should not be misunderstood as immigration,” she said.

A legislation, calling for increasing the minimum salaries of H1-B visa holders to $130,000, was introduced in the US House of Representatives, which, if passed, will adversely affect the Indian IT sector.

To negotiate on the same, Nasscom recently announced that the delegation would head to Washington DC and stay there from February 23 to March 2. “The bill proposed by the US government has many discriminatory clauses. And hence, Nasscom has been fighting for a level playing field,” said Ms Gupta.

She further said that if the US wants to increase the salaries of H1-B visa workers, it should be applicable to everyone.

“Whatever they do, they should create a level playing field without discrimination. And that’s the stance that Nasscom would believe in,” she added. “If the rule is for everybody, then we’re happy to compete in that kind of environment,” she said.