NEW DELHI — India expressed concern on May 24 about recent U.S. visa restrictions during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, even as officials emphasised broad agreement with Washington on key strategic issues.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told Rubio that visa policies were creating difficulties for legitimate travellers and warned that measures intended to curb illegal migration should not hinder lawful mobility, which India views as vital for tech cooperation. His comments followed a series of U.S. actions tightening rules and raising fees for H-1B visas, widely used by Indian technology workers, and a move requiring some permanent-residence applicants to leave the United States for processing.
Rubio, on a four-day, multi-city tour of India, described the bilateral relationship as rooted in shared democratic values and said the two countries were “strategically aligned” on major global challenges. He defended U.S. immigration changes as responses to a perceived migratory crisis, saying they were not aimed at India specifically.
The visit comes amid strains introduced by the Trump administration’s recent trade and diplomatic shifts, including temporary tariffs on India and outreach to rivals such as China and Pakistan. New Delhi has also bristled at some U.S. rhetoric: President Donald Trump reposted a far-right commentator’s disparaging remarks about India, and critics in the U.S. have argued that skilled Indian workers displace higher-paid American employees.
Jaishankar acknowledged that differences will emerge, noting Washington’s “America First” posture versus New Delhi’s “India First” approach, but stressed that the two democracies continue to find convergence across many national-security and strategic areas. The exchange underlines a pragmatic relationship in which cooperation on defence, technology and regional security coexists with disputes over trade, immigration and diplomatic alignment.