Tougher US immigration laws would be big a mistake: Gates

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on Friday warned that the US immigration laws may get tougher but he also advocated free exchange of talent.

"US Congress is very tough on immigration in general. That's unfortunate. What about making an exception for few smart people... Free exchange of talent is very important,"
Gates said here at a joint conference with IT body Nasscom.

Amidst the US government talking about protection, tougher visa norms etc he commented, "Immigration policy (of US) might actually get more strict. It would be a great mistake."

He said his company has been very vocal against tougher immigration laws.

As Nasscom President Som Mittal drew Gates's attention to President Barrack Obama's comments that US government would create more jobs in Buffallo than in Bangalore, the legendary software architect said, "fortunately it (job market) is not a zero sum market".

Barack Obama's 'Say No to Bangalore and yes to Buffalo' remark was the topic of discussion between Nasscom and Bill Gates. The Indian software industry, which has a big exposure to the US market, has expressed its concerns over the comments by the US president.

Some US companies, which outsource a number of their IT jobs to Indian companies, have launched a campaign against the new law that ends tax incentives to those firms which create jobs overseas.

On May 5 this year, Obama announced an end to years of tax incentives to those companies, which create jobs overseas in places like Bangalore. Instead the incentives would now go to those creating jobs inside the US, in places like Buffalo city.

There is also a move to restrict the number of H1B visas for skilled workers. This step, said the Indian IT industry, would choke America of talent coming in and could lead to a trade war with countries such as India.