Proposal to Restrict Business Visas Will Impact Indo-US Ties: USIBC

Washington: Industry body U.S. India Business Council has expressed concerns over proposals such as imposing restrictions on U.S. business and work visas being considered by a group of Senators, saying the provisions would hit Indian companies and thwart the India-America trade relationship.

In a letter to the bipartisan group of eight Senators called Gang of Eight who are working on the negotiations for a comprehensive immigration reform, the council has opposed several provisions of the proposed bill, which it believes, if implemented, would end up targeting Indian companies.

"Our greatest concern centers on proposals that would preclude access to visas or impose unworkable visa-related restrictions and fees on a company's ability to sponsor H-1B and L-1 visas based upon their business model or the composition of nits local workforce," USIBC President Ron Somers wrote in the letter to the eight American Senators.

The eight Senators are: Michael Bennet, Richard Durbin, Jeff Flake, Lindsey Graham, John McCaain, Robert Menendez, Marco Rubio and Chuck Schumer. Rubio yesterday said the draft of the comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) would be made public as early as this week.

"We specifically ask you not to include any provisions that would discriminate against a subset of companies based upon a '50:50' model (those applicants who have 50 or more workers and 50 per cent of those workers are on H-1B and L visas) or some other triggering ratio," Somers said in his letter dated March 22.

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