Skilled Indian Workers Will Have Easier Visa Access Under Biden Plan, Report Says

Topline

The Biden Administration will ease visa restrictions for some skilled workers from India, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the plans, the details of which could be announced as soon as Thursday in conjunction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit.

US President Joe Biden and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi listen to the national anthems … [+] during a welcoming ceremony for Modi in the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

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Key Facts

The program will allow a limited number of workers from India and other foreign countries to renew their H-1B visas, which last for three years, in the U.S. without having to travel to another country, according to Reuters.

It’s unclear how many H-1B visa holders will qualify for what’s being billed as a “pilot” program that would start with a “small number” of workers and be expanded over the next year or two, a State Department spokesperson told Reuters.

The pilot program would also apply to some workers with visas reserved for people employed by a foreign company who are in the process of transferring to a new position within the U.S., known as L-1 visas.

Big Number

73%. That’s the share of Indian citizens who made up the nearly 442,000 workers in the U.S. on H-1B visas in fiscal year 2022, according to Reuters. The U.S. government makes 65,000 H-1B visas available to companies seeking skilled foreign workers each year, plus 20,000 more for workers with advanced degrees. Companies with the most U.S. workers on H-1B visas include the India-based Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, plus Amazon, Alphabet and Meta.

Surprising Fact

Modi was denied a U.S. visa in 2005, under former President George W. Bush, for failing to stop deadly riots three years earlier against Muslims in Gujarat. The ban was lifted nine years ago, under former President Barack Obama, when Modi was elected prime minister.

Key Background

The program could be made public as Modi visits Washington, where he will be feted with a state dinner at the White House and address Congress. The visit is part of the U.S.’s efforts to strengthen ties with India as it increases its global economic standing. U.S. officials have also said the budding partnership is designed to build trade relations and move U.S. supply chains away from adversaries such as Russia and China. Clearing visa application backlogs at U.S. embassies in India is expected to be a topic of discussion during Modi’s visit, according to Reuters.

Tangent

Some progressive lawmakers, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) said they would boycott Modi’s address to Congress Thursday over human rights concerns. More than 70 House and Senate Democrats also sent a letter to Biden earlier this week urging him to address human rights issues with Modi, who leads the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has been blamed by human rights groups for promoting hate and violence toward Muslim minorities.