Jaishankar raises US visa concerns with Rubio, he says 'changes not targeted at India'
The two senior diplomats addressed the media in New Delhi following delegation-level bilateral talks, with people-to-people ties emerging as one of the more candid topics of the day. Rubio, responding to a question about recent changes to US visa categories, including the J1, F1, and H-1B, was candid about the disruption but firm that India was not the target.
by Zee Media Bureau · Zee NewsExternal Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar used Sunday's joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to put the issue of Indian travellers' visa difficulties squarely on the table, and Rubio's response was direct: the changes are not aimed at India. The two senior diplomats addressed the media in New Delhi following delegation-level bilateral talks, with people-to-people ties emerging as one of the more candid topics of the day.
"People-to-people ties are at the heart of the [India-US] relationship. I apprised Secretary [of State] Rubio of challenges that legitimate travellers face in respect to visa issuance. While we cooperate to deal with illegal and irregular mobility, our expectation is that legal mobility would not be adversely impacted as a consequence. After all, this is very relevant to our business, technology and research cooperation (sic)," said Jaishankar during the press interaction.
Rubio, responding to a question about recent changes to US visa categories, including the J1, F1 and H-1B, was candid about the disruption but firm that India was not the target.
"It is not a system that is targeted at India; it is one that's being applied globally. But we're in a period of transition, and like any period of transition, there's going to be some bumps on that road," he said.
The Secretary of State framed the broader immigration overhaul as a response to a domestic crisis rather than a diplomatic signal. "We've had a migratory crisis in the United States. This is not because of India, but broadly, we have had over 20 million people illegally enter the United States over the last few years, and we've had to address that challenge," he said.
Rubio also offered reassurance about what lies on the other side of the transition, expressing hope that the modernised system would ultimately work in India's favour. "Once we've done the work of modernising that system, I think we're going to wind up with a system that's more efficient and even better than the previous system, and in some ways may prove to be even more beneficial than the previous system was to people from India who seek to enter the United States to work and innovate," he told reporters.
Rubio arrived in India on Saturday, beginning his four-day visit in Kolkata before travelling to New Delhi, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is scheduled to visit Agra and Jaipur before returning to the capital for the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting on 26 May, which will bring together India, the United States, Japan and Australia.
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(With agencies' inputs)