The Indian government is closely monitoring the growing backlash against Indian H-1B visa holders in the United States, particularly following recent tensions over the appointment of Chennai-born Sriram Krishnan as Senior White House Policy Advisor on AI. The government is concerned about potential profiling of Indian IT and management professionals and is taking proactive measures to ensure that legally employed workers face no “unpleasant issues.”
A government source told The Times of India that the situation is under constant observation by the Ministry of External Affairs, the Commerce Department, and the Ministry of IT.
“We shouldn’t have a situation where there is an unpleasant issue which is created for our Indian workers who are (working) there legally. That is something that the government is constantly concerned about,” a government source told TOI. The IT ministry is also involved in the process and is taking feedback from large software companies as well as relevant industry associations such as Nasscom to understand the situation on the ground, the sources added.
“We would like to make sure that our competitive position in that regard is not affected. And definitely that other factors should not come in the way of legal frameworks, even from an American setup,” the sources said.
IT Ministry Working With Software Companies
“So to that extent, we don’t want to look at it as more restrictions and so on. We have to look at it as how the American policy also pans out,” a source said.
Government sources also highlighted the evolving nature of American visa policies under the incoming Biden administration, noting that they will be monitoring how these changes impact IT, tech, and management professionals.
“We need to look at how the American policy pans out, rather than seeing it as a move towards more restrictions,” one source told TOI.
In addition to monitoring visa policies, India is keen to highlight the growing trend of multinational companies, including American firms, establishing Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India. The presence of these centres reflects a strong demand for qualified Indian professionals to work on cutting-edge projects, sources said.
The Indian government is also receiving regular updates from its mission in the US to stay informed about the situation.
