Bangalore: Ravi S. Candadai, US Consul for Public Affairs, Chennai was in the city on Monday for an Internet chat with surfers seeking questions on Indiainfo.com.

In a freewheeling interview with this website’s newspaper, he spoke of visa regulations and the changing face of Indo-US relations, a topic that is now discussed not only in boardrooms but also in living rooms.

How would you describe the future of Indo-US relations?

In a nutshell, in my web chat today (Monday) I noticed that people were not asking me if George W. Bush was going to visit India. They were asking me when Bush would come here. Which means the American president’s visit is a forgone conclusion.

This shows how Indo-US ties are maturing thanks to the common democratic ideals the nations share. Indian youth should realise that Indo-American ties now are the best ever. It is being shouted from the rooftops and bandied about in business circles.

However, the future depends a lot on certain micro and macro issues that India needs to thrash out with the US. Foremost are creating a salubrious investment climate. It also behoves India to have a leading edge Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime so that it can move up the value chain.

Will a more cordial relationship move the US government to relax the cap on H1-B visas and other immigration laws?

Visa and immigration laws are congressionally mandated. If the cap has to be raised further, Indian companies have to lobby the US Congress. Contrary to popular belief, there is no ‘quota’ for India. It already gets a lion’s share of all visas issued.

Last fiscal, the Chennai Consulate issued 15,000 visas. Earlier, the cap was much higher but was later reduced as less than half the allocations were issued. With renewed ties, the demand is rising. It is for Indian companies to send the right signals to Congress that the cap needs a relook. It helps if these companies follow Congressional debates closely.

When will the US Consulate open an office in Bangalore?

Karnataka accounted for about 48,000 of the 1,69,616 visas issued last year. It comes second after Andhra Pradesh. Though India’s population has grown by leaps and bounds since 1947, the number of US consulate offices in the country has remained the same. Bangalore is a hot contender but much depends on cooperation by the Indian government.

How do renewed Indo-US ties augur for India in terms of outsourcing?

US companies outsourcing from India is not a new phenomenon. Outsourcing became an issue in the recent presidential polls because swing states like Ohio and North Carolina that had suffered serious job losses made it one. But outsourcing is an economic reality. It guarantees the best returns.

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