US dangles visa bait to avoid farm trouble at WTO

NEW DELHI, SEPT 30: The US is planning to win over developing countries so that they tone down their agressive position on WTO farm negotiations by offering to increase the quota of temporary H1B visas. According to sources in Geneva, the

Under US law, there is no fixed countrywise quota allocation for H1B visas. The US Congress fixes the total cap on H1B visas to be issued to foreigners The companies which are interested in recruiting foreign workers would have to prove that by doing so there would be no impact in the US labour market. Also, that there would be no lowering of prevailing wages by bringing in foreign workers in a specific sector or region of the country. They would also have to show that they were unable to find US workers for the job and that unemployment level is low in that sector.

US has already relaxed norms for labour entry under US-Chile and US-Singapore free trade agreements through the passage of the 108th Congressional legislation.

In a letter to Peter F Allgeir, then acting US Trade Representative, P James Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House of Representatives said: "I urge you to reject these entreaties and also to reaffirm the commitment I received from former US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick that this administration will not entertain any changes to American immigration or antitrust laws in the context of Gats or in any other multilateral or bilateral trade agreements."