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US visa fee hike discriminatory, says Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has expressed concern over the hike in visa fee by the US, saying it is \"discriminatory\" and largely affects Indian IT professionals.
​Washington: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has expressed concern over the hike in visa fee by the US, saying it is "discriminatory" and largely affects Indian IT professionals.
Jaitley, who is on an official visit to the US, shared the Indian government's concern during a meeting with US Trade Representative Michael Froman.
Referring to the visa issue, Jaitley spoke about "India's concern over the hike in the H-1B and L1 visa fee, which is discriminatory and in effect is largely targeted at Indian IT companies".
Last year, the US Congress imposed a special fee of up to $4,500 on H-1B and L-1 visas - popular among Indian IT companies - to fund a US healthcare legislation for 9/11 victims and a biometric tracking system.
Jaitley also expressed India's keenness in early conclusion of a 'Totalization Agreement' with the US, a finance ministry statement quoting him said.
Under this, professionals of both the countries would be exempted from social security taxes when they go to work for a short period in the other country.
