India is in touch with US, Australia over new visa programme: Govt

Amid concerns over the changed H1B visa programme in the United States, India has said, it was in touch with the Trump administration and making full assessment of its impact on Indian professionals. 

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay said, H1-B visas cap has remained at 65,000 since December 2004 when the H1-B Visa Reform Act was enacted by the US Congress.

US President Donald Trump had recently signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to ensure that the visas are given to what he called the most-skilled or highest paid petitioners.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had also said, his government will abolish a popular work visa used by



over 95,000 foreign workers, majority of them Indians, to tackle the growing unemployment and replace it with a new programme requiring higher English-language proficiency and job skills.

The External Affairs Ministry spokesman said, India was also in touch with the Australian government. He, however, said senior Australian officials have conveyed to India that the impact of the changes will be negligible on Indian workers, most of whom fall in high skill category.

Mr Baglay said, the government has facilitated expansion of workforce through its flagship programmes such as 'Make in India' and 'Skill India' as also by delivering large technological partnerships and enhanced Foreign Direct Investment.