FILE PHOTO: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Al Drago/File Photo
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The movement of skilled professionals is an important part of India-U.S. ties and benefits both countries, New Delhi said on Friday amid a debate over H-1B visas on which President-elect Donald Trump and his backer Elon Musk commented recently.
India, known for its massive pool of IT professionals, many of whom work across the world, accounts for the bulk of such visas issued by the United States.
Late last month, Trump said he fully backed the H1B programme for foreign workers opposed by some of his supporters after Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, vowed to go to "war" to defend it.
India said such visas provided mutual benefits.
"Our countries have a strong and growing economic and technological partnership and within this ambit, mobility of skilled professionals is an important component," India's foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told a press conference when asked about the H1B visa discussions in the U.S.
"India-U.S economic ties benefit a lot from the technical expertise provided by skilled professionals, with both sides leveraging their strengths and competitive value. We look forward to further deepening India-U.S economic ties which are to our mutual benefit."
India received about 78% of the 265,777 H1B visas issued by the United States in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2023.
The country is keen to strengthen ties under Trump, Jaiswal said, noting that India's foreign minister and foreign secretary recently visited the United States and held meetings with Trump's transition team.
(Reporting by Krishna N. Das in New Delhi; Editing by Christina Fincher)
