Indians turning their backs on the
US By Siddharth Srivastava
NEW DELHI - As a country racked by fears of
terrorism, with a people disillusioned about the
outsourcing of jobs to low-cost developing countries and
the prevalent feeling that natives from other countries
are not very welcome - the image of the United States as
the "land of opportunity" still remains, but there are
definite signs that the world's most powerful country is
no longer the automatic first choice for an increasing
number of Indians heading to Western environments for
better living, jobs and education.
In the past
few months, due to the pressures of an election year, as
well as perceived terrorist threats, US federal and
state governments have taken a series of measures, all
of which are not very encouraging for non-immigrant
visitors to the country. Consider the following: due to
fears of Indians eating into American jobs, as well as
slowdowns, especially in the tech sector, the cap on
H1-B visas has been reduced from 195,000 last year to
65,000 this year. H1-B visas are provided to workers
with college diplomas in the fields of education,
technology and health care. Out-of-work tech workers
have been returning to India by the hordes.
Then
there is apprehension about the US making it compulsory
for all visitors to pass through US-VISIT (United States
Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology), the
new electronic entry-exit system that will collect and
share information, including biometric identifiers. The
Indian government recently sought a clarification from
the US against the fingerprinting of diplomatic
passport-holders, meanwhile Washington's move has led
China and Brazil to retaliate against US visitors.
It has not been good news on the outsourcing
front either, with India facing the brunt of the public
ire, including some state and federal bills which
prevent government contracts from being outsourced.
A fallout has taken place within the student
community, too, which is reaching out to other
countries, such as Britain, Canada, Australia and
Germany, as possible destinations for further studies.
Education remains a prime export and foreign exchange
earner, with nations in the lower spectrum such as
India, Malaysia and Singapore also looking to make
strides in this area.
Though the US remains by
far the most popular destination for students from
around the world, including India (over 70,000 students
are currently studying there), a slow and definite
change may be in the offing due to the tightening visa
norms. Indian students, who form the single largest
group of international students on US campuses, are
looking at more friendly destinations.
According
to the Council of Graduate Schools, an organization of
institutes of higher education which has been tracking
application numbers at 132 graduate institutes in the
US, there has been a decrease in applications from
international students in 90 percent of these schools
this year. The master's and PhD-level schools enroll
nearly half of all international graduate students in
the US. The biggest decline has been in student
applications from China and India - the two countries
which send the largest number of students. An
indication of a shift away from the US becomes more
glaring when compared to an almost exponential growth in
the number of Indian students heading for other
destinations. Affordable education, permanent residency,
a more conducive environment, as well as lucrative
employment opportunities, are the main attractions.
The number of Indian students heading to
Australia doubled from 2,800 in 2001-02 to 5,700 in
2002-3, and is expected to rise to 9,000 students this
year. Canada hopes to double the number of Indian
students to over 5,000 this year. A study conducted by
the British Council and Universities of the United
Kingdom has indicated that Indian students will be the
third largest contingent of overseas students in the UK
by 2020, outnumbering those from the US, Germany and
France. The study said as many as 29,800 Indians are
expected to study in the UK by 2020, against 8,600 in
2005. A separate government-funded study has calculated
that education has become one of Britain's most
important export industries, earning 11 billion pounds
(US$19.4 billion) annually, placing education in the
same league as exports of oil and financial services.
There is also apprehension that the tightening
of laws could have an impact on the number of Indians
wishing to travel to the US. Travelers are not the only
ones who are worried. A recent study by the US
Government Accounting Office (GAO) identifies flaws
inherent in the US-VISIT program.
The program,
the GAO report maintains, is inherently risky, both
because of its nature and the manner in which it is
being managed. According to the report, the system is
problematic because its mission is critical and
multifaceted, the scope of which is large and complex.
As the program was designed to prevent the entry
of persons who pose a threat to the US, it aims to
control the pre-entry and entry status, as well as the
exit of millions of travelers. The situation becomes
more acute as by Congressional mandate, the system must
be fully implemented by December 31, 2005.
There
are also enough reports to suggest that Indian
information technology (IT) workers are now seeking work
permits from European countries such as Britain,
Germany, and even Finland, where Nokia is headquartered.
Indian companies such as Tata Consultancy Services are
ramping up operations in Europe. In many countries now,
IT visas are very flexible and quick and a statement
from big employers puts job seekers on the fast track.
For the time being, though, the overall
number of non-immigrant visas issued to Indians has gone
up, compared to the same period last year. According to
US embassy figures, all the categories of visas -
B-1/B-2 business and pleasure visitor visas - have
increased compared to last year. With the H1-B cap, it
is expected that the number of L-1 or intra-company
transfer visas that showed a decline last year is likely
to go up this year.
The number of business
visitors has increased due to more executives in the
booming business and processing outsourcing industry
heading to the US. The US consular offices have also
been active in making the process of issuing visas less
time consuming and hassling for the visitors.
However, with a clampdown of sorts happening,
pegged to elections and terrorism, the days of the US as
the hot shot student and job destination may soon be
challenged by several others. While the US's actions may
be a temporary attempt to stave off domestic concerns,
the impact could be more permanent.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New
Delhi-based journalist
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