Former Indian ambassador Javed Ashraf on Saturday warned that repeated US actions targeting Indian students, H-1B visa holders and green card applicants could rupture the social bridge between the two countries, potentially affecting bilateral ties in the coming years.
“There are geopolitical signals we constantly get… The social bridge between India and the US was a very important driver of this partnership. It was, in one sense, a foundational pillar. It connected the entire Indian middle class, educated and aspirational class. This program is the first required step for an employer to sponsor an H-1B visa holder for an employment-based Green Card. Five Indian IT companies as well as giants like Microsoft have been suspended from the program amid the Trump administration’s allegations of misuse and attempts to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labour.
They went there, they were innovators, and a window to India’s potential, acting as a great bridge between the two countries,” Ashraf told NDTV during an interview. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs, issued a sharp response on the row, noting that: “The steps do not advance both countries’ shared ambitions”
