'Net losers': Jaishankar's message on roadblocks to talent flow amid H-1B visa woes

EXternal affairs government minister S Jaishankar said on midweek that countries that make several roadblocks to grant the flux of talent across borders will be “net losers”, adding that India needs to convince others that the use of professionals is for mutual benefit. His statement comes amid the massive crackdown on immigration in the United States by the Donald Trump-led administration, including a $100,000 fee for a new H-1B visa. Under the H-1B visa scheme, American companies hire skilled workers from other countries. The visa is first issued for three years and can later be extended for another three years.What did Jaishankar say?Speaking at an interactive session at a conclave on mobility, Jaishankar said, “That they would be net losers if they erect too many roadblocks to the flow of talent. Particularly if you move into an era of advanced manufacturing, you will need more talent.”Without naming any country, the external affairs minister said that India needs to convince other nations that sharing “talent across boundaries is to our mutual benefit”, as per news agency PTI.He added, “Often the people in the forefront of entrepreneurship and technology would actually make the case for mobility. It is the people who have a certain political base or a constituency to address, who may oppose it, and they will probably reach some modus vivendi eventually.”Jaishankar also linked the unwillingness of some countries to allow the “flow” of skilled workers to attempts to encourage certain companies to relocate their manufacturing bases away from China."If there is pressure on jobs in many developed countries, the pressure is less because people have moved into those sectors. It is more because they allowed manufacturing to go out and you know where," Jaishankar said."If it becomes harder for people to travel, the work is not going to stop. If people don't travel, the work will travel," he added.US’ crackdown on immigrationNotably, the Trump administration announced a $100,000 H-1B visa application fee for new applicants earlier this year. This is aimed at making it difficult for American companies to hire foreign talent. Further, US senators have repeatedly announced legislations to restrict access to H-1B visas.What's also worth noting is that Indians accounted for about 71 per cent of approved H-1B applications in the past few years, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).With inputs from agencies