<p class="title">The Trump administration has no plans to cap H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally, the State Department said on Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Reuters <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/business/us-tells-india-it-is-mulling-caps-on-h-1b-visas-741592.html" target="_blank">reported</a> on Wednesday that the United States had told India it was considering restricting the H-1B visa programs for countries with the data storage requirement. The H-1B program issues US visas to skilled foreign workers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The Trump Administration has no plans to place caps on H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally," a State Department spokeswoman said in a statement in response to the Reuters article.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While an administration's "Buy American Hire American" executive order calls for a broad review of US worker visa programs, including the H-1B program, it was not targeted at a specific country, the spokeswoman said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It is "completely separate from our ongoing discussions with India about the importance of ensuring the free flow of data across borders," the spokeswoman added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier on Thursday, India said it was in talks with the United States on H-1B visas, but foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar told a news conference: "We have not heard anything officially from the US government" on capping such permits for Indians.</p>.<p class="bodytext">US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to visit New Delhi next week for talks that will include areas of disagreement between the two countries over trade.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Two senior Indian officials told Reuters on Wednesday they had been briefed last week on a US plan to cap the number of H-1B visas given annually to Indians at between 10% and 15% of the total number issued.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There is no country-specific limit on the 85,000 H-1B work visas the United States issues every year, and an estimated 70% of them go to Indians.</p>
<p class="title">The Trump administration has no plans to cap H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally, the State Department said on Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Reuters <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/business/us-tells-india-it-is-mulling-caps-on-h-1b-visas-741592.html" target="_blank">reported</a> on Wednesday that the United States had told India it was considering restricting the H-1B visa programs for countries with the data storage requirement. The H-1B program issues US visas to skilled foreign workers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The Trump Administration has no plans to place caps on H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally," a State Department spokeswoman said in a statement in response to the Reuters article.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While an administration's "Buy American Hire American" executive order calls for a broad review of US worker visa programs, including the H-1B program, it was not targeted at a specific country, the spokeswoman said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It is "completely separate from our ongoing discussions with India about the importance of ensuring the free flow of data across borders," the spokeswoman added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier on Thursday, India said it was in talks with the United States on H-1B visas, but foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar told a news conference: "We have not heard anything officially from the US government" on capping such permits for Indians.</p>.<p class="bodytext">US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to visit New Delhi next week for talks that will include areas of disagreement between the two countries over trade.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Two senior Indian officials told Reuters on Wednesday they had been briefed last week on a US plan to cap the number of H-1B visas given annually to Indians at between 10% and 15% of the total number issued.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There is no country-specific limit on the 85,000 H-1B work visas the United States issues every year, and an estimated 70% of them go to Indians.</p>