USIBC to launch campaign against US immigration reform bill

The US India Business Council (USIBC) is planning to launch a major campaign, on a scale witnessed during the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, against certain killer provisions in the US immigration reform bill, in particular those related to much sought after H-1B visas.
In addition to mounting its own effort and putting in all its resources to convince the US lawmakers that the killer provisions of the comprehensive immigration reform bill - that has been introduced in the Senate by the bipartisan group of eight Senators called the Gang of Eight - the top business group representing the interest of US companies doing business in India is in the final stages of hiring a top lobbying firm for the purpose.

With time running fast, the USIBC, its member companies and the lobbying firm are expected to fan across the Capitol Hill to what its proponents argue to make the case that the US-India knowledge economy is the centerpiece of the relationship and the free movement of technical professionals is as vital as is the free movement of manufacturing.
USIBC, which over the years has emerged as a key driver of India-US relationship, believes that both US and Indian job creation and competitiveness depend on their collective agility and ability to scale across all sectors, which underscores the very need for intensifying the US-India partnership.

The only time when the USIBC had launched a similar kind of effort was in 2006 when it hired the services of Patton Boggs to successfully lobby in favour of the historic Indo-US civilian nuclear deal at the Capitol Hill.
USIBC, which had written a letter to the Gang of Eight before they introduced their immigration bill in the Senate, believes that it makes no sense for the US to advance a policy that turns away talented, highly-educated individuals who want to contribute to America's prosperity and competitiveness.

It argues that the bill would put the US at a relative disadvantage in the global marketplace, driving away skilled workers to go elsewhere, including to Canada and Europe.

And the proposed caps on H1B visas will instead put a cap on economic growth in both the US and India, something that is bad for US domestic markets and the global economy, it argues.
With its membership comprising of top American companies like Boeing, Pepsico and General Electricals, USIBC, which is one of the best advocate of India-US relationship in the town, feels that the bill is a missed opportunity to promote economic growth in a meaningful way.
The US and India as the world's largest free-market democracies should be working more closely together, not setting up walls of protectionism, it believes.