In a move to strengthen ties between the world’s two largest democracies, the Biden administration is set to ease visa restrictions for skilled Indian workers, The Reuters reports.

What’s Changing?

The State Department is expected to announce a pilot program that will allow a select number of Indians and other foreign workers on H-1B visas to renew their visas without leaving the U.S. This initiative is expected to be expanded in the coming years. Indian citizens constitute 73% of the nearly 442,000 H-1B workers in the fiscal year 2022.

Who Benefits?

Companies such as Infosys (INFY.NS), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS), Amazon (AMZN.O), Alphabet (GOOGL.O), and Meta (META.O) are among the top users of H-1B workers. The new changes will also free up resources for visa interviews in consulates abroad.

Why Now?

The move comes during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit and is part of the Biden administration’s effort to improve visa access for Indians. This is seen as a strategic move to foster stronger ties between the U.S. and India, and to compete more effectively with China.