'Trump's suspension of H1-B visas likely to affect movement of skilled professionals': MEA

India on Thursday said Donald Trump administration's suspension of H-1B and other work visas till the year-end is likely to affect the movement of skilled professionals and the impact of the order on Indian nationals and industry is being assessed in consultation with the stakeholders.

"This (development) is likely to affect the movement of skilled professionals who avail of these non-immigrant visa programmes to work lawfully in the US. We are assessing the impact of the order on Indian nationals and industry in consultation with stakeholders," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during the weekly press briefing.

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Important dimension

The official said people-to-people linkages, as well as trade and economic cooperation in technology and innovation sectors, are an important dimension in the US-India partnership.

"High-skilled Indian professionals bring important skill sets, bridge technological gaps, and impart a competitive edge to the US economy. The US has always welcomed talent and we hope our professionals will continue to be welcomed in the USA in the future," he said.

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Trump's crack on immigration

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to temporarily suspend nonimmigrant visas (NIV) — H-1B, H-2B, certain H-4, H-L, and some H-J visas — with the stated objective of preserving jobs for American citizens. Individuals receiving the above visas, or seeking entry into the US for the first time from June 24, 2020, till December 31, 2020, won't be allowed. Indians are the largest pool of foreign workers that get H-1B visas and those are popular among multinational (especially IT) companies to cater to their US clients.

Apart from the suspension of these work visas, the executive order signed by Trump has also made sweeping changes to the H-1B work visa norms, which will no longer be decided by the currently prevalent lottery system. The new norms will now favour highly-skilled workers who are paid the highest wages by their respective companies.

(With ANI inputs)

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