India flags concern to US over disruptions caused by cancellation of H1B visa interviews
New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday said it flagged its concerns to the US over cancellation of pre-scheduled H1B visa interviews of a large number of Indians and that both sides are engaged on the issue to address the disruptions caused by Washington ordering enhanced vetting of applicants.
The interviews of thousands of H-1B visa applicants slated from the middle of this month in India have been abruptly postponed by several months to scrutinise their social media posts and online profiles.
Some of the applicants, whose visa appointments were scheduled last week, received e-mails from US immigration authorities informing that their interviews are being pushed back as late as May next year.
"The government of India has received several representations from Indian nationals who are facing delays or problems with rescheduling of their visa appointments," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
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"While we do understand that visa-related issues pertain to the sovereign domain of any country, we have flagged these issues and concerns of our nationals to the US side, both in New Delhi and in Washington DC. We hope that these delays and the disruptions will be addressed."
Jaiswal said India remains actively engaged with the US to "address and minimise the disruptions caused to our nationals".
The Trump administration's policy impacted H-4 visa applicants as well. The H-4 visa holders are primarily spouses of H1B visa workers.
"There are several people who have been stranded for extended periods of time because of scheduling and rescheduling of consular appointments," Jaiswal added.
He said the disruptions in the visa appointment schedule have caused "a lot of hardships" to the applicants, their families as well as the education of their children.
The mass cancellation of scheduled interviews of the H-1B visa applicants in view of the enhanced vetting measures has resulted in significant delays in their return to the US.
The rescheduling of the interviews is for all applicants who were previously given appointments from December 15 onwards.
Most of them were already in India and are now unable to return to the US pending their new interview dates since they don't have a valid H1B visa to travel back to the US for their jobs.
For example, those whose interviews were scheduled for December 15 received emails postponing the date to sometime in March. Applicants whose appointments scheduled for December 19 were given new dates in late May.
It is learnt that interviews of several other categories of visa applicants are also being postponed in view of the new norms for scrutinising the social media profiles of the applications.
The exact number of applicants impacted by the delays in the visa interviews is not immediately known.
The Trump administration has been tightening the H1B visa programme under its broader policy on checking immigration. There has been wider scrutiny now of social media posts and profiles of visa applicants.
Under the H-1B visa programme, companies recruit foreign workers with specialised skills to work in the US, initially for three years that can be renewed for three more years.
Indians made up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
In September, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation raising the fee for H1-B visas to a staggering USD 100,000.
There is a possibility of H1B visa seekers facing more challenging situation in the future.
US Vice President JD Vance a few days ago said that the Trump administration has worked to restrict H-1B visas as it believes it is wrong for companies to "bypass American labour just to go for cheaper options in the third world".
To a question on the proposed trade deal between India and the US, Jaiswal said both the governments remain engaged with a view to conclude a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
