Mexico agrees to talk about tough NAFTA issues
The Dollar Business Bureau Mexico agreed on Wednesday to start discussions on tough issues in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which is likely to begin on August 16. Canada has vehemently opposed a US proposal to do away with binational dispute resolution panels in which experts on the review panel review the decisions to impose tariffs or quotas. Though the Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo denied taking any immediate position on the ‘panel issue’, but added that Mexico is keen to see that the process is modernised. In an interview Guajardo refused to take any stand, ‘I don’t think that when you start negotiations, it does any good to shadow box.’ He instead agreed to putting strong ...
EU nationals to face same visa requirements as others, post Brexit
The Dollar Business Bureau UK’s Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said on Thursday that after the Brexit deadline, nationals from European Union (EU) countries will have to face same visa requirements as the migrants from non-EU nations. Freedom of movement is an aspect of the UK’s EU membership and this will end once the country exits the bloc, Lewis said. This would mean that migrants from the 27-member bloc will face similar visa restrictions as Indian nationals, as soon as Britain leaves the EU - the deadline for the same is March 2019. “Free movement of labour ends when we leave the EU in the spring of 2019. I’ll be very clear about that,” Lewis told a leading international news agency. “Obviously, there’s a period of ...
Trump sets new visa criteria for applicants from Muslim countries
The Dollar Business Bureau The US administration under President Donald Trump has issued new guidelines for the visa applications from six Muslim-majority nations and all refugees. Visa applicants from these countries now require a ‘close’ family/business relation to become eligible for entering the US. This move came after the US Supreme Court partly restored the executive order issued by the Trump administration barring citizens from the six countries for 90 days to travel to US that was extensively criticised as it targeted only Muslims. Visas, which have been approved already, will not be cancelled. However, the new guidelines issued by the US State Department mentions that the applicants from six Muslim-majority countries of Iran, Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen must now have to prove relationship with a parent, ...
CIM underlined the importance of Services to gather the full potential of RCEP
The Dollar Business Bureau Upon her return to India, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave a press briefing on the discussions, deliberations and developments that happened at Hanoi during the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership meet. On day 2, 22nd May, she said the ministers took stock of the state of negotiations across various negotiating groups and sub-working groups, particularly in the area of goods, services and investment. She pointed out that while considerable progress was made several areas still needed some finality. Referring to the protectionist measures adopted by some countries she said that the negotiations for the services sector were either slowed down or stalled. Though the Indian side put up a valiant fight to protect its industry in goods, discussions on the ...
After scrapping 457 visa program, Turnbull tightens citizenship norms
Sneha Gilada Even as Trump orders a review of the H1-B visa program to replace the lottery system with one that will award visas to highly skilled and most-paid workers, Malcolm Turnbull jumps onto the bandwagon by first abolishing the 457 visa program, and then tightening norms for the grant of an Australian citizenship. On April 19, soon after the Australian PM visited India, he scrapped the popular workers' visa regime which grants a four-year work permit to around 95,000 foreign workers annually (mostly Indians). The 457 visa program will be replaced by one that offers two kinds of visas: a short term 2-year work permit and a medium term 4-year work visa. The Dollar Business spoke to Ms. Deepti Saxena, Director, Visas Avenue Pvt. Ltd, to gauge the impact of the changes in Australia's visa regime on Indian applicants. Quoting ...
H1B system needs ''common sense'' reforms: Congressman Ro Khanna
PTI Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has said the US needs to "remain open" to immigrants who contribute to creating jobs and help shape the economy, as he called for "common sense" reforms in the H1B visa system. Khanna, who represents the Silicon Valley where a large number of Indians and other immigrants work, said many Americans believe the H1B visa programme needs to be reformed. "Of course, we have to end the abuses. We shouldn't have companies that have more than 50% H-1B visas and we should make sure that they are paid the prevailing wage," Khanna, a first-time Congressman, told PTI in an interview. "These are common sense reforms that even people like Venk Shukla (TiE Silicon ...
Trump holds talks with Merkel, says he is not an isolationist
PTI President Donald Trump today dismissed the notion that he was an "isolationist" in his policies, as he held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and asserted that Germany and the US must work together towards fair and reciprocal trade policies. "My administration is in the process of rebuilding the American industrial base. A stronger America is in the interest, believe me, of the world as a whole," Trump told reporters at a joint news conference with the visiting German Chancellor Merkel. Germany and the United States, he said, must work together towards fair and reciprocal trade policies that benefit people of both the countries. "Millions of hard-working US citizens have been left behind by international commerce, and together, we can ...
57% UK work visas issued to Indians in 2016
The Dollar Business Bureau Of all the people who have migrated to UK on work visas, Indians contributed 57%, according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). In 2016, Indians accounted for 53,575 work visas from UK, out of a total number of 93,244. USA's figure of 9,348, although second biggest, is far behind India's. An industry-wise division of skilled Indian workers highlights IT as the biggest sponsor of work visas, constituting 42% of total work visas. While professional, technical and scientific activities comprised 19%, another 12% was attributed to insurance and financial sector. Also, Indians make for more than half the applicants in this category of visas. Of a total number of 56,058 applications, 30,556 were from Indians. According to statistics from 2010, 40% of the total ...
