By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – India External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York in he backdrop of the US Trump administration’s latest decision to hike the H-1B visa fee.

Jaishankar met with Rubio in New York on Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, in effort to strengthen India-US ties, according to MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal.

According to officials, they discussed the efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and bridge the differences that have emerged between the two nations in recent months.

The relations between New Delhi and Washington came under strain over the 50 per cent tariff imposed by the US on Indian imports for purchasing Russian oil. The new US tariff came into effect on August 27.

Their meeting also coincides with a visit by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who is leading a delegation to hold trade negotiations with Washington.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposed USD 100,000 H1-B fee on visas for skilled tech workers.

White House later clarified that the fee only applies to new applicants and not to current visa holders.

Jaishankar’s meeting with Rubio is expected to be crucial, particularly with the latest decision to hike the H-1B visa fee.

The proclamation signed by US President Donald Trump has raised the application fee for H-1B visas to $100,000, triggered chaos across the tech industry and creating uncertainty among employees who rely on the visa programme.