US, India to discuss visas, tariffs during Tai’s New Delhi visit

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai is on a three-day visit to India where she’s expected to hold talks with the country’s trade and foreign ministers on topics including business visas for Indian workers and duty-free access on goods.

Tai will host the 14th round of bilateral trade promotion talks with India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday in New Delhi, and is also expected to meet with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar later in the day.

New Delhi wants the US to increase the number of visas available for Indian business professionals wanting to work in the country and to smooth out the process, according to people with knowledge of the talks, who asked not to be identified as the discussions aren’t public. India is also pushing for an easing in non-tariff barriers on some agricultural exports to the US, the people said.

India’s Commerce Ministry didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking further information. The US embassy in New Delhi said it’s unable to provide more details about Tai’s visit beyond what’s already been disclosed by her office.

Also on the agenda is New Delhi’s demand for the US to restore duty-free access to some of its goods under the so-called generalized system of preferences, the people said. India has been nudging the Biden administration to reverse a Trump-era move withdrawing duty-free status on thousands of Indian export products. 

Officials are also expected to continue talks on signing a pact that will help avoid double taxation of employees in both nations, and allow short-tenure Indian workers in the US to get back billions of dollars in social security deposits, one of the people said. 

The US surpassed China as India’s biggest trade partner in 2022, with bilateral shipments reaching a record $137.24 billion, up from $114.69 billion in 2021. 

Tai is also expected to meet with civil society representatives and business leaders during her visit to New Delhi.