The exorbitant hike in the fee for H1-B Visa by US President Donald Trump should not put the aspirants under panic. On the contrary, in my view this is a boon for India, a blessing in disguise and a curse for America.
Let my first elaborate why it is a curse for America. It’s the American companies who will have to bear this Visa cost of 1,00,000 USD if they have to hire the highly professional Indian minds in the field of space, technology or health-care etc. In the absence of which it is the American qualitative advance and supremacy that they boast of will suffer heavily. Does America have its own such professionals? If that would have been the case then high percentages of Indian brains would not have been working for NASA, in Silicon Valley, in their hospitals and so on for no company spends to invite people from abroad if their professional requirements and expertise can be met by their own people. In fact, it is only the power of the Dollar that the Americans had been fulfilling their requirements and encouraging brain drain from other counties- particularly India, in order to fill their paucity of experts and high professionals. What will be the alternative left for these companies and organizations? They are at a loss, and it would be them who have to panic not us or our visa seekers.
In fact, I will go a step further and suggest to Mr. Trump that why don’t you sent back all the Indians and face the consequences. You can off course ask Pakistan, your dear partner, to send such brains to America like the ones they have sent to England- Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London or such like the Rapists Gangs that roam freely in England. Another alternative for you can be to request the so called Khalistani terrorist Pannu to get his supporters and he will listen to you for America has sheltered him for long.
Why not also increase the visa fee for studies so that your own American youngsters can easily get a seat in your universities. Can you dare to do it for your universities were starving for lack of funds and now again will collapse if the foreign students keep away? In the absence of the Indian doctors and nurses your health services will crack down and your IT supremacy will nose dive in the absence of Indian IT professionals at Silicon Valley or in other American companies.
Trump your own corporate giants will be forced to move out of America if they have to maintain the quality of the services or products that they offer as your Americans can’t deliver that level of excellence in professional services which these corporate aspire for. So it’s great to increase the H1-B Visa fee to double or triple than what you have just announced. Also impose it on the existing visa holders. Why relax for them?
Now coming back to India, in my perspective, this will if not stop but drastically slow down the brain drain from India. There might be an intermediary period of 2 to 3 years to face certain difficulties, but the present Indian state is now capable of taking care of difficulties. Already, the government introduced the start-up programme for young professionals encouraging them to be entrepreneurs, own their own businesses and small-scale industries with low interest rates on the bank loans and other supportive plans of the government. No doubt, many Indians have benefited and there are more and more seeking advantage of such policies.
Secondly, as a result of the proactive policies of the government for encouraging Swadeshi again the present and the future is full of opportunities for our youngsters with the government investing more in the R&D sector and many Indian industries also are moving ahead in that direction.
We are already aware that many multinational and international giants have moved into India and many are in the line for establishing their own manufacturing units. Already, many MOUs have not only been signed but are in operational stages which open up opportunities for all our professionals to work in India and not to beg the Americans for a working visa.
America is not the only place in the world to work. Today, after having noticed the advances and progress made by India based on the intellect hard work of Indians that many other countries are willingly opening their doors for the Indians to work for them.
There are quite a few Indians who were attracted by the luxurious lifestyle in America so much so that those who won’t lift a glass of water in their homes, would tender in bars or take up even the jobs of a waiter abroad only to stay in that country. For people of such mentality I would suggest that today which luxury or high-quality lifestyle is not available in India. The fastest growing middle class in the world, unmatchable urban development, rapid growth in infrastructure and the incentives offered by the government provide ample opportunities for those who believe in hard work rather than crying unemployment. Remember that we were the first economy in the world that recouped from the Covid period and our economic growth picked up.
One must also remember here that in spite of the economic decline faced by many European countries and America India remains the most inexpensive country in the world with a consistent growth in GDP and no doubt, stands as the fourth largest economy in the world. I would like to point out that these advances made by India in various sectors like space, IT, health and pharma or defence production etc. are a result of the hard work of the Indian brains residing in India and serving the motherland- not those of the H1-B Visa holders. Off course, there are areas where we have to further improve upon, the government has identified them and the process of plugging the loop holes and empowering not only various sectors but also the youth in the field of self sufficiency is on with full vigour. Remember what the PM promises he does it and that is why the phrase is on everyone’s lips “Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai”.
