New Delhi: India has asked the Donald Trump administration to extend the visas of all its citizens stranded in the US amid the Covid-19 pandemic, even as clamour grows for the Narendra Modi government to bring them back.
Sources told ThePrint that the US will “consider” the request.
The sources said India had been in touch with the US for over a week on the issue, and that the talks were about all categories of visas, including H-1B. The US government hasn’t issued any order to terminate the services of H-1B visa holders, ThePrint has learnt.
Also read: US, UK speed up repatriation of citizens from locked down India, Germany, France halt process
US provisions for non-immigrants
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in a notification issued Tuesday, said all non-immigrants who “may unexpectedly remain in the United States” beyond their authorised period of stay due to Covid-19, can apply for extension under various categories.
This includes options to apply for an extension online, while the USCIS has also made the provision of ‘Special Situations’ for those who are facing “severe economic hardship” due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
The USCIS has also made it possible for those who have entered the country under a visa waiver programme, and are not able to go back home, to stay in the US for a period of 30 days.
Last week, President Trump had stated that India’s decision to send shipments of hydroxychloroquine, one of the drugs being tried for treating Covid-19, “will not be forgotten”.
Also read: Hydroxychloroquine: The special drug Trump and the world are dialling PM Modi for
SC to hear petition on stranded Indians on 20 April
Meanwhile, a group called the ‘BringIndiansHome Initiative’ has filed a petition in the Indian Supreme Court to bring back citizens stranded in the US.
The petition was filed by lawyers Vibha Datta Makhija and Kashish Aneja on behalf of more than 100 Indians stuck in the US, who cannot come back due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
It is scheduled to be heard on 20 April.
“While all countries including the US have called for their citizens to return, India is the only country which is opposing the return of its own citizens, which is clearly violative of the Constitution as well as the Covid-19 travel directions issued by WHO,” Makhija told ThePrint.
In their 119-page long writ petition, the lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court to give directions to the Union of India, and the the ministries of external affairs and civil aviation to “organise special flights” and “formulate evacuation measures” for Indians in the United States.
The lawyers have shortlisted 15 “urgent cases”, including one diabetic individual who was on a training programme after graduating in December, and currently has no job, access to healthcare, and is set to be homeless in two weeks.
The list also includes many students, as well as people who had travelled to the US for medical treatment.
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