Nasscom hopeful of positive engagement with pro-immigration Biden administration

Indian IT industry body  National Association of Software & Services Companies (Nasscom) is  hopeful of a positive engagement with the new US administration which it believes is pro-immigration.

Speaking at Nasscom's strategic review report, its Chairman U B Pravin said that though it is early days with a new team under President Joe Biden settling in, some of the initial announcements coming from the US have been fairly positive.

"Our expectation and reading of this administration is that it will be much more consultative and they will discuss with all the stakeholders and Biden in the past also has been pro-immigration from that perspective," said Rao.

While Nasscom was actively engaged with the concerned people on the US side even during the Donald Trump administration, the current deferral on wage based H-1B lottery system by a year is a welcome move, he added.

"As an industry we have contributed significantly in making American companies competitive, we have contributed to the local economy, in job creation. In fact during the pandemic, we have also kept some of the critical infrastructure like health, financial service, all running," Rao said.

Also read: Biden grants huge relief for spouses of H-1B visa workers; Indians to benefit most

While the US administration will do what would be right for America, with the value addition that IT industry has been bringing to the nation, "we have always advocated free mobility of talent and hopefully we will have a positive engagement with the new administration", added Rao .

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had announced to delay a rule issued in the final days of the Trump Administration that sought to change the existing H-1B selection process to prioritization based on wage level, pushing the effective date of the rule to the end of calendar year 2021 .  

During the said time, DHS would review the rule as a whole for potential changes or rescinding it. This was following an announcement by the U.S. Department of Labor to delay the effective date of the final rule affecting wages for H-1B workers to May 14, 2021.

Nasscom had earlier said that prioritizing purely on wage levels has the potential to significantly damage some of the most innovative companies in the world along with many hospitals and health care providers, research facilities, universities and other petitioners.

Terming the current situation as evolving, and being hopeful of the US administration to take a balanced view, Rao said, "America still wants the best talent and any law that comes up there will help in achieving that objective. I believe there will be opportunities for sending people from here and there will be opportunities for local students."

Also read: Nasscom expects Biden administration to reverse Trump's 'harmful policies'; bring relief to Indian IT industry

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