Jaishankar calls out Trump admin's double standards on H1B visas, says 'they would be net losers…'

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar warned that countries restricting the movement of skilled professionals across borders will become “net losers”, amid US plans to reform the H-1B visa programme and rising opposition to foreign workers in Europe. Speaking at India’s World conclave on “The Mobility Imperative”, Jaishankar said advanced manufacturing and global innovation rely heavily on cross-border talent, and political resistance to mobility often stems from domestic constituencies rather than economic logic. He argued that the real crisis faced by Western economies is not immigration but the outsourcing of manufacturing over the last two decades. “If people don’t travel, the work will travel,” he noted. Jaishankar highlighted India’s record $135 billion in remittances last year, the government’s global mobility agreements with 21 countries, diaspora welfare initiatives, and the rapid rise of 1,700 Global Capability Centres employing two million professionals. He stressed that global talent movement is mutually beneficial and essential for economic growth.