GOPIO North Jersey holds seminar on India-U.S. relations, immigration

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NEW YORK – The North Jersey chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO-North Jersey) held a discussion on “Where India US Relations are Heading” on November 5, at Jyoti Restaurant, in Wayne, NJ.

Rajul Shah, President of GOPIO North Jersey Chapter spoke about strengthening India-U.S. relations and the significance of the meaningful dialogue that that takes place in the seminar.

Thomas Abraham, founder and current Chairman of GOPIO International, moderated the seminar and introduced the speakers as experts in their fields.

The seminar focused on two key aspects: Geopolitical and Economic Relations, led by Maya Chadda, a political science professor at William Patterson University and India-U.S. Immigration issues, led by David Nachman, a leading immigration attorney with the NPZ Law firm.

Chadda asserted that the policy shifts under President Donald Trump has strengthened India’s trust in the supporting of the United States, especially on the issues of terrorism and Pakistan’s role in it, mentioning that it still doesn’t solve the basic dilemma for the U.S. which needs Pakistan to stabilize Afghanistan and rid South Asia of terrorist safe havens.

She also talked about the economic codependence between China and the U.S. as well as the U.S.’s goal to contain North Korea, making the U.S. hedge its bets between India and China.

“It is only in securing the Indo-Pacific where India’s naval contribution is clear and can be substantial, that the Indo-Us convergence is unquestionably beneficial to both. Notwithstanding these caveats, Indo-Us relations have again resumed a decisively upward trajectory,” said Chadda.

Nachman addressed the issue of the current hiatus in the issuance of H1-B visas and the severe impact it is having on both the India and U.S. in the Information Technology industry.

According to Nachman, U.S. immigration and the nationality law is changing on a daily basis and presenting new challenges to immigration practitioners as well as for visa applicants.

“The immigration and nationality enforcement authorities nowadays are seeking to enhance information technology applications as well as security methodologies through a process called ‘extreme vetting’ to ensure the safety of individuals in the United States,” said Nachman.

“The silver-lining to the new and restrictive immigration law policies and procedures that have been implemented is that individuals are visiting our immigration law offices and making inquiries about potential options to enable them to obtain legal immigration status in the United States,” Nachman added.

Nachman suggested that India focus on issuing EB-2 visa instead of H1-B visa as Bangladesh and Pakistan have been taking full advantage of this and the Indian government has yet to come to terms on an agreement with U.S. on this matter.