Blessing In Disguise?
   Date :02-Jan-2025

distinct view
 
By Rahul Dixit :
 
In a way, the H-1B visa issue can be seen as a blessing in disguise. Trump’s ambiguity, his team’s indecision, and the discourse on immigration in the US should prod India to induce the NRIs back home. It is, of course, easier said than done but India has managed it successfully with the return of top scientists.
 
 JUST weeks before his inauguration as the President of the United States, Donald Trump’s tantrums are keeping the world guessing. His views are oscillating between surprise and shock, his threats are fluctuating from ridiculous to downright absurd, his decisions are swinging faster than his golf club. And the world is riding this pendulum on fear and prayer. From imposing tariffs to claiming ownership on countries, Trump has riled many with his strange ambitions. One particular issue that has become a flashpoint in America itself is skilled immigration and H-1B visas. It has divided public opinion in the US and at the same time kept India on tenterhooks. Indians are the largest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa programme, accounting for more than 70% of all H-1B petitions approved each year. The dominance of Indians has enraged the Make America Great Again (MAGA) activists who are fighting for the rights of nativists. The movement was triggered by Trump himself as he used ‘Jobs for Americans’ as a poll plank during the presidential campaign.
 
Donald Trump’s flip-flop on the issue, coupled by the dodgy stand taken by his trusted lieutenant Elon Musk, who himself is an immigrant, has left an uneasy future for Indian H-1B visa holders and aspirants. It is, indeed, a fact that the spurt of foreigners in computer science-related occupations in the US in the 90s was entirely driven by Indians. The promise of higher wages for the same work started the exodus. Indians have been using the H-1B visa programme to land jobs in the US which is short of high-skilled workers in top industries including IT, medicine and software. The high levels of skills Indian workers display in their respective sectors provide a win-win situation for their American employers. Since 1990, the H-1B visa programme has triggered large-scale immigration of Indian graduates to the ‘Land of Opportunity’. By 2014, 86% of computer science H-1B visas used by US tech firms had been acquired by Indians. In an era of technological innovations and rise in software demands, English-speaking and highly-skilled Indians have become the go-to talent for US firms. Back home too, because of the software boom in the US coupled with its immigration policy, it became an incentive for Indians to acquire the computer science skills valued in the US.
 
While Indians have taken pride in how the diaspora has risen to great heights in foreign lands, making a name for themselves and assuming top positions, there is also disappointment about the brain drain phenomenon. The H-1B visa has yet again brought the spotlight back on this phenomenon which the Indian society is desperately seeking to reverse for a secure future at home. For too long, India has let go of some exceptional talent in many sectors. The greatest brain drain in the world has been that of Indians. Scientists, engineers, doctors, all looking for better salaries or opportunities, started immigrating to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other countries in the 70s. The aspiration to utilise talent in high-paying companies based in other countries is not wrong. It is a basic human tendency to tap places of higher growth. But what is often missed in this race is the silent change it brings back home. Families keep praying for a reunion and the country keeps investing in the process to produce similar talent which shares the dream of serving India by remaining in India.
 
Many factors are responsible for this large-scale talent migration, including lack of adequate facilities to hold the workforce and stunted aspirations of the political class. Despite the rapid strides in industrialisation, India has continued to linger on many sectors where the emerging talent could have been properly utilised. The tech sector took its own sweet time to flourish. It is yet to spread wings across the country, again limiting opportunities to a couple of big cities. The growth story India is dreaming also has to be replicated in the supporting sectors to instill a sense of progress among the talent force. In a way, the H-1B visa issue can be seen as a blessing in disguise. Trump’s ambiguity, his team’s indecision, and the discourse on immigration in the US should prod India to induce the NRIs back home. It is, of course, easier said than done but India has managed it successfully with the return of top scientists. As a force to reckon with in the space sector, India has attracted home-grown talent working with NASA and other agencies back to their roots.
 
It was possible due to the focus on making the sector attractive and a matter of national pride. The scientific community has been bestowed the respect it deserves which has aided reverse-migration of talent. Other sectors witnessing brain drain also seek similar steps, instilling confidence in the workforce longing to return home. They should be incentivised with par salaries and perks, affordable homes, additional facilities, tax rebates and ease in various processes which has remained a bane for India. The Government is already tapping multinational companies to open global capability centres (GCCs) in India. It can pave the way to bring qualified Indian professionals at home and hire a more home-grown workforce which is waiting for a chance to fly abroad. India can send a positive message to the H-1B visa holders facing an uncertain future through the Union Budget. Sops in form of tax concessions, widening the scope of Make in India programme by making individuals its part, ready opportunities in sunshine sectors, and a change-over without administrative and bureaucratic hassles is the best new year gift Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman can give to the country and the NRIs.n