WASHINGTON (TIP): Pointing out that Indian IT industry has been an important stakeholder in promoting and supporting stronger bilateral business relations between the US and India, India’s Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that programs such as the H-1B visa should  be nurtured as a mutually beneficial partnership.

 During the Roundtable on‘America’s Highly Skilled Workforce, the Talent Pipeline andH-1B Visas’ hosted by the Wilson Center in Partnership with NASSCOM on  July 23, Ambassador Shringla congratulated NASSCOM for the reports and emphasized the contribution of Indian IT companies to the US economy.

“The Indian IT industry has been an important stakeholder in promoting and supporting stronger bilateral business relations between the two countries. They have invested billions of dollars across many States in the U.S., contributed to the competitiveness of global operations of U.S. companies, and supported hundreds of thousands of direct, indirect, and induced jobs in the United States”, he said.

“The movement of highly skilled Indian professionals in the U.S., through programs such as the H-1B visa, has been a mutually beneficial partnership which should be nurtured. There is a long history of foreign professionals coming to the U.S. and contributing to America’s economic success. By helping develop new products and services, engaged in cutting-edge research, and serving as enablers for U.S. companies to expand their client base, H1B visa users create jobs for American workers” he further added.

Ambassador Shringla also highlighted another aspect of the H-1B visa program, which is the Indian students’ contribution to the US economy. “Indian students are the second foreign student population with over 200,000 active students, 85% of them pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education. Studies have shown that Indian students contribute over $7.5 billion to the US economy.  Students in the US who go on to work in H-1B visas also spur innovation and entrepreneurship”, he pointed out.