More trouble? Another country has blocked visas for Indian IT professionals

Singapore has turned out to be one of the countries opposing foreign professionals working in its country.

The number of IT professionals working in Singapore has dropped after the government said it will conduct an "economic needs test" (ENT), which requires compliance with certain economic criteria.

The visas for IT professionals to work in Singapore have dropped, leading the government to put on hold the review of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) citing violation of the trade pact.

"They are doing it despite the CECA clearly stating that there will be no ENT or quotas on agreed services. This is a violation of the agreement," an Indian officer told TOI.

With protectionism stance growing in UK and the US, Indian IT companies such as TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, L&T Infotech and HCL, are relocating some of their operations to other countries in the region.

"This (visa problem) has been lingering for a while but since early-2016, visas are down to a trickle. All Indian companies have received communication on fair consideration, which basically means hiring local people," Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar told TOI.

Professionals do face such hurdles, especially in the services trade as countries insist on fulfilling various conditions, including ensuring that a local professional is given the first chance if he or she possesses the same or similar talent.

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