India desires to resolve visa row ahead of Obama visit

New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) Expressing the desire to resolve
the visa fee row with the US before November, India on
Saturday said it would not like the contentious issue to
"stick out like a sloth arm" ahead of President Barack Obama's
visit here.
"Everybody is looking for a reasonable way to have this
matter resolved amicably...Nobody wishes to have this
festering as a wound especially because....there is President
Barack Obama's visit," Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said.
He said the issue also needs to be resolved because in
two weeks from now the joint trade policy forum (TPF) meeting
is scheduled.
Underscoring the importance of the Obama visit due in
November, Khullar said: "...surely you do not want to go into
a visit with something like that sticking out like a sloth
arm".
He said that last week several Americans, including
Deputy US Trade Representative Michael Punke and Florida
Senator George Lemieux, met him and discussed the matter.
Under its border security bill, the US had hiked the fee
for certain categories of H-1B and L1 visas by at least USD
2,000 for the next five years.
As per Nasscom's estimates, Indian companies, mostly
IT firms, apply for 50,000 visas every year, including H-1B
and L1 visas, besides renewal of old visas.
The US says the hike will help it foot nearly USD 550
million, out of the proposed expenditure of USD 600 million,
on increasing security along the US-Mexico border.
Khullar said Lemieux would speak for India as "he
has a better understanding of why we are distressed by the
move. He will get that message conveyed to his colleagues in
the Senate as well as the other policy makers in Washington."
The domestic software industry has raised concerns that
the increase in fees will adversely impact companies of Indian
origin, which account for about 12 per cent of the total
number of visas issued by the US.
Khullar also said he discussed the ongoing WTO
negotiations with the visiting Americans. He said Indian
senior officials would be visiting WTO headquarter in Geneva
in October.
Chief agriculture negotiator of the US Isi Siddiqui also
meet Khullar recently. PTI