EAM Jaishankar to meet US State Secy Rubio amid H-1B visa concern

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday (September 22) in New York. 

This comes on the heels of at least two major shakeups affecting the India-US bilateral ties since they last met in July in Washington DC, for the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The meeting takes place just two days after the US announced a fee hike for H-1B visas, a move that could shake India’s IT industry

and is expected to affect Indian professionals, who accounted for over 71% of H-1B approvals in FY24.

Since their meeting in July, the US has imposed a 50% reciprocal tariff on India, which came into effect on August 27. This includes a 25% penalty for purchasing Russian oil and defence equipment.  

Discussions with US counterparts to achieve an early conclusion of a trade agreement will take place on the same day. A delegation led by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal is also in New York for the same.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar's ministry had raised concerns regarding the hiking of the application fee for the H-1B visa to $100,000 over the weekend. 

"This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families. Government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities," the ministry said in an official statement released on Saturday (September 20), adding that it was studying the implications of the move. 

"Industry in both India and the US has a stake in innovation and creativity and can be expected to consult on the best path forward," the statement read.

The ministry's spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said earlier this year that skilled professionals play a crucial role in strengthening the India-US economic partnership.

Also Read: H-1B visa: India raises concerns over 'humanitarian consequences', full implications being studied