‘It’s about trade, not immigration’

Since the H-1B visa is a temporary work permit, it cannot be used to migrate to the US, Tata Consultancy Services spokesman Michael V McCabe tells Uttara Choudhury

The letter from the two US Senators talks about H-1B visa holders being paid below US market rates. They have raised concerns about American workers being under-cut.

We pay the market wages for all our workers. We comply with every law that pertains to our business operations, whether in India or the US. Even within India, the market is so competitive that if companies pay poorly, an IT professional will simply walk out and join another firm.

Has the H-1B visa programme contributed to jobs drying up in the US?

I don’t have an answer to that, but I can tell you that unemployment rates across the US are at a low. The IT sector has had the highest employment rates since the dotcom boom.

Do Indian companies use H-1B visas as lock-ins, and then rotate workers?

I can’t really speak about specific strategies for when and how often workers are moved around to different sites. But we are a global company. We have operations in 35 countries, and our engagements keep changing. From a global trade standpoint, the free movement of talent and people is essential for any company that operates in more than a single geographical area, to service customer needs.

Are the H-1B visas stepping stones to immigration?

If you look at it from the trade rather than immigration point of view, H1-B visas are temporary visas. They are the only visas that are applicable to any foreign company which wants to have staff from overseas come to the US. From a facilitating global trade standpoint, that is what the visas are really for, so this is not an immigration issue. It is a trade issue.

How many H-1B visas did TCS receive for 2006?

That is not information we give out.

How does your firm view the senators’ letter, and has it responded?

The US is our largest market, so these are concerns we take very seriously. We respect the senators seeking information on the visa programme because they have the right to information while working on legislation. We are reviewing the letter, and have been talking to Nasscom about the next steps to take.