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Piyush Goyal Calls US H-1B Visa Restrictions A Big Win For India
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News18•12-10-2026, 15:01
Piyush Goyal Calls US H-1B Visa Restrictions A Big Win For India
- •Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that US restrictions on H-1B visas are a boon for India, helping retain skilled talent domestically.
- •Retaining top professionals in India boosts domestic consumption, tax revenues, and strengthens the growing startup and deep tech ecosystems.
- •Goyal noted that all major American companies are expanding operations in India to tap into the local talent pool at a fraction of overseas costs.
- •He clarified that immigration policies like H-1B visas are separate issues from broader India-US trade negotiations focused on professional mobility.
- •The shift encourages global capability centres and multinational firms to move more high-value research and technology operations directly to India.
Key Questions Answered
Piyush Goyal believes that tighter US visa access helps retain India's top skilled talent domestically, boosting local consumption, strengthening the startup and deep tech ecosystems, and accelerating the growth of global capability centres across cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Piyush Goyal distinguishes immigration policy from trade negotiations, stating that issues like H-1B visas and green cards are not part of free trade agreements, while discussions on the bilateral trade deal continue on a steady keel.
The remarks followed the US administration's suspension of new and pending applications under the Permanent Labour Certification programme involving major tech firms like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Technologies.
