Panic has gripped the four million employees in India’s $150-billion information technology (IT) industry after the Donald Trump administration in the United States said it was reviewing its policy on issuing H1B visas which allow companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.

   The US Congress will soon decide on some Bills seeking to amend the various provisions related to the grant of H1B visas but so far none of the Bills have been passed and no comprehensive policy changes have been made. Though Trump has asked companies to hire Americans, the US does not have enough qualified workers to fill open positions.

   In 2015, there were 10 times more computer science jobs (519,698) than students graduating with computer science degrees (59,581). More than 21 lakh Indian technology professionals have applied for H1B work visas in the last 11 years. On an average, their salary over the last 11 years has been....