On H1-B visa issue, read between the lines of US put-down and Indian riposte

U.S. Vice President J D Vance and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal have been cautious in their remarks on Indian H1-B visa holders in the United States. Vance acknowledged that U.S. corporations, aligned with the Republican Party, have benefited from accessing cheaper Indian talent, while Goyal expressed his country's long-standing desire for more visas to facilitate Indian immigrants' access to American education and employment.

Vance's use of the phrase "foreign indentured servants" to describe H1-B visa holders is an example of imperialist attitudes toward Indian immigrants. Despite its pejorative connotation, the term reflects the upper-class and upper-caste Indian perspective on emigration. India has a history of labor export, with British India sending hundreds of thousands of "indentured laborers" to overseas territories during British rule.

Post-independence, Indian governments have encouraged labor export to countries with labor shortages or a lack of interest in the work. The Narendra Modi government has formed memorandums of understanding with various countries to facilitate Indian labor exports, recognizing the necessity of exporting human capital amid demographic aging in developed economies.

As countries face a shortage of young, unemployed workers, exporting labor has become a necessity rather than a virtue. The international community must address human migration and strike a balance between retaining talent and attracting capital.