25% of H-1B visas to US given by Chennai consulate

One fourth of H-1B visas to the US from India are issued by the US Consulate in Chennai, which caters to the four southern states, Consul General Andrew T Simkin said.

Participating at an interactive session on 'US-India Trade Relations', organised by the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry here yesterday.

On denial of H-1B visas, he said as there was a provision to apply for a Green Card after residing for six years in the US, some H-1B visa holders used the provision to settle in America. "Only when we suspect that a person will settle in America, we reject the visa application," he added.

Stating that India and America had many things in common, he said, "There is tremendous scope for business between the two countries."

On the problems relating to stringent conditions of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) faced by India's processed food exporters, he said there was no scope for relaxing the conditions.

But FDA would soon expand its wings to countries including India, so that exporters could understand the regulations and start exporting more by meeting the conditions.