India is in constant touch with the top political leadership of the US on the issue of illegal migrants and H1B visa, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. She also said Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar recently met some of the Congress members in the US in this regard and they appreciated India’s concern.
Replying to questions about reported US move to deport illegal migrants after President Donald Trump assumed charge, she said the US has given a list of 271 people claiming they were illegal migrants from India, but the Government has not accepted it and would allow their deportation only after proper verification.
Stating that it will not be correct to say that there has been a change in the US policies after the Trump administration came to power, she said a US report said in 2012 that there were more than 2,60,000 illegal migrants from India in the US. However, the Indian Government did not believe its veracity, the Minister said.
Referring to skilled workers, Swaraj said regarding H1B and l1 visas for professionals, four Bills have come to the US Congress but they have not been passed. She said the Government was engaging with the US at the highest level to ensure that the interests of Indian people or the IT industry are not affected. “We are conveying to them that IT professionals are not stealing jobs but contributing to the US economy and making it stronger,” the Minister said.
Anand Sharma (Congress) said it is important that skilled professionals are not confused with illegal migrants. Swaraj said she had earlier stated that some Bills have been moved in the US, but the Government was taking steps so that they are not passed in such a form.