An Indian-American business advocacy group has urged the incoming administration of US President-elect Joe Biden to ease H-1B visa restriction, PTI reported. The US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum has also asked Biden to provide green cards to higher education students with science and mathematics degrees.

On December 31, outgoing US President Donald Trump extended a freeze on the most sought-after H-1B visas along with other types of foreign work visas by three months to March 31, affecting a large number of Indian IT professionals who were issued visas by the US government for the fiscal year 2021.

Also read: Trump administration files lawsuit against Facebook for favouring H-1B visa holders

Biden, a Democrat, has promised to lift the suspension on H-1B visas.

“It is more of a legislative issue,” Mukesh Aghi, president of US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum told PTI in an interview. 

“We have basically recommended to the Biden administration, one, is ease up the H-1B (visa), but at the same time, every STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) PhD graduating, should be given a Green Card, so that they stay and contribute from day one as a taxpayer and also to the growth of the economy,” he said.

“That’s the position, we still are very supportive of. And I think the sentiment seems to be the same with the Biden administration,” Aghi added, based on the interactions he has had with members of the Biden Transition Team.

Biden will assume the Oval Office on January 20.

Responding to a question, Aghi said the number of H-1B visas issued every year should be driven by the market demands.

At this point in time, the current figure of 65,000 H-1B visas in addition to another 20,000 to those foreign nationals with graduation from a US university is quite inadequate to meet the huge demand for IT professionals in the US, he noted.

Aghi said the COVID-19 crisis and the current change in administration in the US provides India an opportunity to look at the Biden administration in a positive manner.

“The crisis with China has brought to India the message that ‘we will not treat you as an equal partner’; sends a message to the leadership in India to look at the Biden Administration in a very, very positive manner,” he said.

“It also sends a message to the Biden Administration that with the current scenario, which is a geopolitical one, India can be a reliable partner; India can stand up to the threat of aggressive China, which no other country has stood up to. Both countries have a common factor here,” Aghi said.

“So, I think the current COVID-19 crisis where India can play a strong role in the vaccine production on producing cheaper generic drugs, not only for the US, but worldwide provides an equal partnership. I think India and the Biden administration will reach out to each other and come with some kind of an understanding early on, rather than waiting on and making sure that there is a win-win partnership here,” he said.

Also read: US tightens visa rules for Chinese Communist Party members, their families

In the interview, Aghi extended his support towards the farm laws, against which thousands of farmers are protesting since November 26.