According to Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State, Commerce and Industry, by escalating the US visa fee for the IT employees, the US is imposing a non tax barrier on India. She also said that India is not against paying the visa fees, and that the amount should not be so high that it discourage individuals from getting the visa.
She informed that she has personally met with Mr. Michael Forman, US trade representative and also discussed with many Congressmen.
Last year, the UK has increased the fees for H-1B and L-1 visas. The USCIS had said that the additional fees would apply to the firms that hire more than 50 individuals in the US.
The escalated US visa fees is predicted to cost the IT sector of India an extra $400 million every year. According to the industry estimates, the big IT firms like Cognizant, TCS, Wipro and Infosys get near to 15 to 20,000 visas each year.
The Minister also said that, she knows the visa fee of the US for the IT employees who goes there has been raised. She has assured people that she was fighting hard for their rights and will not be going to lose out.
