PM In US: Modi Takes Up Issue Of H-1B Visas With President Biden, Says Shringla

Modi noted many Indian professionals who work here contribute to Social Security, and the return of those contributions in the United States is something that affects the number of Indian workers,

Washington: On his three day visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interated with President Joe Biden for the first time and discussed a number of issues concerning the Indian community in America, including access for Indian professionals in the US and H-1B visas, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said.

Modi described his first bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with US President Joe Biden  as "outstanding" and expressed that the Indo-US relationship is destined to be "stronger, closer and tighter .

What did Modi expressed on H-1B visa?

Modi took up the issue of Indian professionals getting access to the United States and mentioned about H-1B visa, Shringla informed reporters at a news conference on Friday. Modi noted many Indian professionals who work here contribute to Social Security, and the return of those contributions in the United States is something that affects the number of Indian workers, Shringla said.

What about Indian students in US?

According to the fact sheet issued by the White House, the United States has issued a record 62,000 visas to Indian students so far in 2021. The nearly 200,000 Indian students in the United States contribute $7.7 billion annually to the US economy.

Under the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Programme worldwide, the programme has brought Americans and Indians closer together for 71 years since its launch in India.

In 2008, India's decided to jointly fund these fellowships with the United States after which the program was renamed as the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship Program. Over 20,000 fellowships and grants have been awarded under this exchange programme, and the United States looks forward to building on these successes, it said.

According to the White House, the upcoming launch of the US-India Alliance for Women's Economic Empowerment a public-private partnership between the Department of State, USAID, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, and George Washington University will help catalyse collaboration to advance women's economic resilience and empowerment in India.

(With inputs from PTI)