Biswal called for a rational discourse on the H-B issue.
Former US diplomat Nisha Desai Biswal on Sunday opined that the H-1B visa issue could be a “source of tension” in US-India relationship.
“The issue of H-1B and the rhetoric that has been flying around all of that, I think is going to be a source of tension,” Biswal, the former US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia told PTI.
She called for a rational discourse on the H-B issue that could affect the lives of thousands of Indians.
“We can all agree that the H-1B program has been an important and necessary program to help both, US and foreign companies meet shortages in high skilled workers. And that this has therefore brought much benefit to the American economy, and to the communities of which these companies both US and foreign operate,” Biswal said.
She said that overuses, misuses and abuses of H-1B are a reality and some revisions being contemplated would be helpful to stop these malpractices.
“What I think is deeply regrettable, is rhetoric both during the campaign and what has been heard from some political leaders and from some communities in constituency within the US is a scapegoating of the program for the kinds of job losses that certain industries and certain communities are experiencing,” she said.
“Its fundamentally a conflating of issues so that rather than tackling some of the more difficult issues that we as a country need to address in terms of how our economy is changing, in terms of how certain industries and certain types of jobs are frankly not tenable in the long-term. Therefore, we need to think about how to re-structure the American work force and what kind of training and opportunity to provide.”
Biswal continued: “Rather than having those difficult conversations, what I very regrettable is a scapegoating and a demonizing of a certain program in a certain category of work, as being the reason why there are job losses, or why there is economic stagnation in certain parts of the country. Because these, you know, foreign workers are coming in and taking our jobs. I find that offensive. I find that disturbing.”
“I find that at the end of the day what it does is it makes the US, it makes our economy and our society less welcoming, less hospitable. Less vibrant, less dynamic,” she added.