India will lodge a
complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the
"discriminatory" increase in visa fee by the United States.
The fee hike is hurting IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys and Wipro, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said on Wednesday.
"Department of Commerce proposes to seek consultations with the US under the Dispute Settlement Understanding of the WTO," Scindia told lawmakers.
The minister said the US government's move to hike visa fee was prima facie discriminatory for Indian companies.
The United States under the Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2010,
sharply hiked fee for H1B and l1 visas, commonly used by the IT companies to bring workers to the US from outside.
Visa fees are increased for applicants of those companies which employ more then 50 persons in the United States or have more than 50 per cent of their employees admitted on non-immigrant visas, popularly called "50/50 rule".
"Indian firms including TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Mahindra Satyam which fall in the '50/50' rule appear liable to pay higher visa fees," Scindia said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
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