- 5 weeks ago
In this episode of India Today Global, the focus is on US-India relations following a meeting between S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York.
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00:00Hello and welcome. I'm Geeta Mohan and you're watching India Today Global. The big story we're bringing to you from New York.
00:21Jai Shankar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio have met in New York. The meeting just ended and Dr. Jai Shankar on his social media post on X has posted that it was good to meet Secretary Rubio this morning in New York.
00:38I quote him as saying, our conversation covered a range of bilateral and international issues of current concern, agreed on the importance of sustained engagement to progress on priority areas.
00:50We will remain in touch. That's the news that's coming in at this point in time. My colleague Pranav Padhyay joining me for more on this, Pranay.
00:58Warm meeting, but will it culminate into any breather for India?
01:04We can't say with surety, Geeta, that will it bring any breather, but definitely there is a sense of positivity because both leaders not only met,
01:14but they did affirm, they did decide that the high-level contact needs to continue between both sides and India and United States remain committed for continuing the relationship, partnership and their high-level engagement.
01:28And you know, you have also covered this relationship in great detail and you know that how wide-spectrum contact India and United States maintain.
01:37But definitely this meeting has its own significance, not in terms of its timing, but you know, this is the first one, a face-to-face meeting between Dr. Jai Shankar and Marco Rubio after Operation Sindur.
01:49And also after the trade-in tariff announcement, after the Chabar, you know, exemption being revoked, you know, being revoked by the United States and also the recent development in terms of the H-1B visa.
02:02So definitely, you know, Dr. Jai Shankar has must have raised these issues with the United States and must have, you know, conveyed the sentiment that the human lives are involved in this, you know, in the visa issue.
02:15And therefore, the humanitarian aspect needs to be taken into account.
02:19And as you would recall, Keita, that recently, you know, Marco Rubio posted on the social media account that this September 2025, the continuing month, will be celebrated.
02:29And, you know, as the month for people-to-people contact and cherish the long-standing bond between India and United States.
02:36But unfortunately, this decision, which is impacting the people-to-people contact between India and United States, has come in the same month.
02:43Right, Pranapadhyay, thank you so much for joining me on this big story that's coming in from New York.
02:50Now, this is the big story we'd be covering this evening as well.
02:56There are interesting developments that are taking place in the United States of America.
03:00On the one hand, we saw Dr. Jai Shankar meet his counterpart in New York.
03:05On the other hand, Piyush Goyal has reached Washington, D.C. to engage in trade talks.
03:10The bilateral that happened on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly between Jai Shankar and Rubio
03:17is the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders after Trump administration imposed additional 25% tariff on India.
03:27It also comes amid the growing tension that you're seeing in the IT sector after Trump announced a 100,000 H-1B visa fee hike.
03:37Both the top cabinet members last met in July in Washington for the Quad Foreign Minister's meeting.
03:43Jai Shankar is in New York for the UNGA.
03:45He will also deliver the country statement at the United Nations General debate on the 27th of September.
03:52Now, amid uncertainty looming large over H-1B visa and future of Indians in the dark,
04:02Trade Minister Piyush Goyal is in Washington to accelerate the long-pending trade deal.
04:07The visit of this Indian delegation to Washington comes after a U.S. team led by Brendan Lynch,
04:14Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia,
04:17met Indian trade officials led by Chief Negotiator Rajesh Agarwal on the 16th of September in New Delhi.
04:24But the visit does not lay down all the subjects that will be tabled during the meeting.
04:29It is also not clear whether they would discuss Trump administration's H-1B visa fee hike
04:34and the demand to cut Russian oil purchases or open its agriculture and dairy sector for U.S. companies.
04:41The Trump administration on Friday issued an executive order requiring companies to pay $100,000 per year fee
04:49for an H-1B visa which is freshly applied, which will hit the Indian IT industry.
04:56Trump had imposed an additional tariff of 25% on India, which came into effect on the 27th of August.
05:03Now, with the H-1B visa controversy creating ripples across the IT sector in India, there are many rumours.
05:13The future of the H-1B visa holders are in dark, especially the ones who are applying for new visas.
05:19We tell you more about it in this report.
05:21Panic, confusion and chaos.
05:29This has been the state for Indian IT industry since Trump's announcement of the $100,000 H-1B visa fee hike.
05:39What this proclamation will do is raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000.
05:48This will ensure that the people they're bringing in are actually very highly skilled
05:53and that they're not replaceable by American workers.
05:56So it'll protect American workers but ensure that companies have a pathway
06:00to hire truly extraordinary people and bring them to the United States.
06:04Following the announcement, Silicon Valley urged their staffers not to travel outside the country,
06:09leading to overseas workers crambling for flights.
06:12But the White House later clarified that the fee was one time and not annual and applied only to new visas.
06:22Following Caroline Leavitt post, there has been some relief but fear of uncertainty looms large.
06:28The new fee takes into effect from 12 a.m. on September 21st.
06:34But this new visa fee has certain exemptions.
06:37It will not apply to visa applicants working in the healthcare and engineering industry.
06:41As of 2025, there are estimated 500,000 to 600,000 H-1B visa holders in the U.S.
06:50The current H-1B visa holders must re-enter the U.S. by September 21st
06:56if they have been abroad for 12 months or longer.
06:59Also, the executive order gives authority to U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security
07:04to waive the $100,000 fee for H-1B holders if they are deemed important for national interests.
07:12Trump claims that Americans are losing jobs to H-1B visa holders.
07:17He also states that the program meant for high-skilled laborers is being misused
07:22to replace American workers with cheap laborers.
07:25For now, the American dream seems bleak.
07:29With Mahasweta Lala, Bureau Report India Today.
07:32Joining me now is Mukesh Aaghi.
07:39He is president of USISPF, that's U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum from Washington, D.C.
07:46Mr. Aaghi, many thanks for joining us.
07:48Now $100,000 for H-1B visas.
07:52For all those who are applying freshly, we'll have to now be shelling out that kind of money.
07:57That's the decision taken by Trump administration.
07:59You tell us, what is the impact of this decision, the implication of it for India
08:04as also for America, Dr. Aaghi?
08:08Well, first is the $100,000 per H-1B visa is a tremendously high number.
08:19The second is it is not target towards India or Indians itself,
08:24even though Indians take almost 72% of that visa itself.
08:28You have to understand that when this program was started,
08:34it was focused more on high-end technical talent, which was not available in the U.S.
08:41And since then, what we have seen is in certain cases, the H-1B program has been abused.
08:48And the whole objective here is to correct that.
08:51So any country would like to attract good talent, high-end talent, talent which is lacking in the local ecosystem.
09:01And that's what the objective of the $100,000 fee is, to basically filter out the low end and focus on the high end.
09:09Well, so what you're trying to say is that he, that this could, this is not really, should not come as a shock to many
09:18because this is what Donald Trump had really promised.
09:22This was his pole promise.
09:23He's basically walking the talk, Dr. Aaghi.
09:26No, absolutely.
09:29You have to understand, today, the unemployment among the fresh graduates is slightly over 6.5%,
09:40whereas the overall national unemployment is close to 4%.
09:45So the young, fresh graduates are not getting hired, especially in STEM program.
09:51And so the overall objective is to create an opening for the graduates here in the U.S. for the local economy itself.
09:59So I think any leader of a nation would focus on that, and the U.S. is doing the same thing.
10:07Right. Dr. Aaghi, the fact of the matter is that there is a huge decision that has been taken on the fee.
10:14What does it really mean?
10:16We're looking at taxes on outsourcing of jobs that is now, that is being pushed, which is the Hire Act.
10:24Then we're looking at replacing low category of about anybody earning $65,000 and under.
10:30Those jobs being replaced by Americans.
10:32Either way, what I'm seeing over here is no matter how you look at it,
10:37Indian techies are going to be really impacted drastically, and there is going to be a reduction.
10:41No, you're right, because, you know, you have 85,000 basically H-1B and almost 20,000 are directly from skills.
10:54But you can always leverage that through L-1, J-1, or if companies are interested, they can sponsor the golden visa of a million dollar.
11:03So I think it's not the end of the tunnel here in every aspect.
11:11If Indians are dreaming, people who have ambition to be here, they will find ways to be here.
11:19Well, Dr. Aaghi, you are in touch with a lot of industry leaders now and tech companies in Silicon Valley.
11:26How are they reacting to this decision?
11:29Are they concerned?
11:30Are they really worried or not?
11:31Yes, in fact, in the last, you know, 60 days, I've spoken to almost 70-plus CEOs all across the valley and across America.
11:45Yes, they are concerned because nobody likes an environment which is uncertain.
11:50They want transparency, stability, so they can make their investment decisions.
11:55So from that perspective, yes, you hear people are concerned.
12:00You know, you're concerned about your children's continuing education.
12:03You're concerned about buying a new house because you don't know what's going to happen.
12:07You're concerned about your career itself.
12:09And when you put a tax of $100,000 per visa per individual itself, it does impact the budgets of companies itself.
12:20So I think companies will look at very carefully as to when they plan the hiring as to what position they're going to hire and what position they're going to basically offshore it.
12:30But that's normal in any environment when you're trying to plan a business, when you're trying to build a family, that you have to deal with uncertain environment.
12:41Today, the turbulence is much, much higher.
12:44But I think there's enough resilience both on the corporate side and also individual side that they will weather the storm calmly.
12:52Right.
12:52We'll see what that resilience really looks like in coming days.
12:56For now, Dr. Aghi, thank you so much for joining us here on the network.
13:01Now, on Statecraft today, we talk about the decades of concerns over brain drain that we've spoken of and what has successive governments really done about it for India.
13:13Not so long ago, they were part of India's soft power cloud, the techies, the tech industry of India.
13:20What happens now?
13:22Should they remain?
13:23What should the government of India do?
13:25You can watch the detailed analysis on our YouTube channel, India Today Global's YouTube channel.
13:31But for now, here is an excerpt.
13:40The country would rather not have to pay $100,000.
13:44But it would rather, how do you do that?
13:47You hire Americans.
13:47For decades, young Indians were told that success meant heading west, that wealth, recognition and a global career could only be earned by leaving home for the United States of America.
14:02Silicon Valley became the promised land, Wall Street, the pinnacle of ambition, and H-1B visa, the golden ticket.
14:11Families built dreams around it, students shaped their education for it, and the brightest minds of India set their sights on crossing oceans.
14:20But now, that dream faces a harsh reality.
14:24President Donald Trump has imposed a staggering $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, a barrier so steep it threatens to shut the door for millions of talented professionals from India.
14:38Perhaps it's time to ask a different question.
14:42Is this truly the end of the American dream for India's tech workforce?
14:46Or is it a wake-up call for India to create opportunities at home through modern infrastructure, merit-based policies, and a future where our brightest minds can thrive right here?
15:00Hello and welcome.
15:01You're watching Statecraft with me, Geetha Mohan.
15:12They say the American dream is universal.
15:15For decades, it was the beacon for millions of young Indians, a promise of opportunity, prosperity, and global recognition.
15:22Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Indira Nooyi, all of them lived that dream, starting with an H-1B visa.
15:32But today, that dream is under siege.
15:35President Donald Trump has announced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas.
15:41One fee, one giant hurdle, and for Indian IT professionals, it might just be the end of an era.
15:49In 2024, 2,83,000 Indians obtained this visa, out of a total of 3,90,000.
15:58It is the bridge that has carried India's brightest minds to Silicon Valley, to Wall Street, to global tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, TCS, and Infosys.
16:10Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been blunt on one front.
16:15India must reduce its dependence on foreign products.
16:20From defense equipment to semiconductors, from ships to chips,
16:24Atmanirbhar Bharat, or self-reliance, is the new national mantra.
16:29But there is one dependency India has rarely confronted.
16:33Our dependence on exporting services, on sending our talent abroad.
16:38For years, Indian IT companies have thrived on outsourcing.
16:43Millions of young professionals dreamt not of innovating in Bengaluru or Hyderabad,
16:47but of writing code for a bank in New York or London.
16:52And the government, across party lines, let this brain drain slide,
16:57sometimes even celebrating it as proof of India's global clout.
17:01But today, the cost of that complacency is staring us in the face.
17:05The rationale is simple, at least politically.
17:10Trump frames it as protecting American jobs.
17:13He claims the H-1B program has been exploited to replace domestic workers with cheaper foreign talent.
17:21The share of IT workers on H-1B visas has grown from 32% in 2003 to over 65% in recent years.
17:29For those who think outsourcing could be the workaround, Trump has already shut that door, too.
17:42The halting International Relocation of Employment Act, the so-called HIRE Act,
17:48is designed to punish American firms that send jobs abroad.
17:53A 25% tax on outsourcing.
17:57China has also announced a new K visa aimed at young STEM professionals worldwide.
18:03Unlike the H-1B, applicants need not have a domestic employer to sponsor them.
18:08A few ultra-wealthy individuals may still access the U.S. through the Trump gold card.
18:14An investor visa requiring a minimum $1 million commitment to projects within the country,
18:20ultimately leading to residency and then citizenship.
18:25But for the majority of Indian IT professionals, earning around $65,000 a year,
18:31this is utterly unattainable.
18:33The door remains open only for the rich.
18:36For most, it has slammed shut.
18:39India's youth can build India if the system empowers them.
18:44And it's not just about opportunity.
18:46It's about sovereignty over talent.
18:49Every engineer, developer or innovator who leaves is a potential builder of India lost to a foreign land.
18:57Trump's fee may have closed a U.S. door,
19:00but it opens a chance for India to reclaim its brightest minds,
19:04to cultivate innovation at home,
19:06and to make Atmanir Bharabharat, or self-reliance, a reality.
19:12Policies that reward merit, foster research and innovation,
19:16support startups, and simplify business regulations
19:19can keep the brightest minds at home rather than sending them overseas.
19:24The question is no longer whether Indians can succeed abroad.
19:28It's whether India can build a future that inspires them to stay, innovate, and lead.
19:34It's time to end the U.S. obsession and start building that future here,
19:39in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, and beyond.
19:42Thank you for watching, Statecraft.
19:48As European countries come together to rally behind the cause of Palestinian statehood,
19:54Israel finds itself pushed against the wall.
19:57But it remains defiant as countries recognize Palestine state in the UNGA,
20:02which kick-started today.
20:03Will Israel stand alone or find its friend and ally,
20:07the United States of America, along with it?
20:10Now, all eyes on what President Donald Trump will say on Tuesday.
20:17France joins the list of countries to recognize a Palestinian state at the UNGA this week.
20:26The UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal are latest to recognize Palestine state.
20:33As countries join the bandwagon, pressure is mounting on Israel to end the Gaza war
20:41and recognize the two-state policy.
20:45But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows not to stop the creation of Palestine state.
20:50I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize Palestinian state after the horrific massacre on October 7th.
21:03You are giving a huge reward to terrorism, and I have another message for you.
21:08It will not happen.
21:09A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.
21:13For years, I have prevented the establishment of this terrorist state,
21:18despite tremendous pressure both domestically and internationally.
21:27But as most countries in Europe rally behind Palestine and call for its statehood,
21:33Germany begs to differ.
21:34For the German government, the recognition of Palestinian statehood is not currently up for debate.
21:42We continue to see such recognition as one of the last steps,
21:46not one of the first, on the path to a two-state solution.
21:52The US, meanwhile, has not granted visa to Palestinian officials,
21:56including Palestinian President Mohammed Abbas,
21:58to attend this year's UN General Assembly session.
22:01This promoted a resolution to allow Abbas to address world leaders
22:05gathered at the General Assembly via video link.
22:12Abbas is among the 80 Palestinian officials whose visas have been revoked by the US.
22:20Earlier, Israeli army released footage showing stationary tanks and military vehicles
22:25it said were of the 36th Division preparing to enter the Gaza City area.
22:30With Mahaswetha Lala, Bureau Report, India Today.
22:40That's all on this edition of India Today Global.
22:43Stay tuned for more Europe Channel.
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