Verma Flags Tariff and Visa Risks in US-India Strategic Bond

Richard Verma, who served as US Ambassador to India and now leads public policy at Mastercard, delivered a sobering assessment of bilateral relations at a high-profile Washington forum. While celebrating the transformation of ties from near zero defense trade in 2000 to twenty billion dollars today, Verma underlined that new pressure points are emerging. He singled out the re-imposition of steep tariffs, the abrupt tightening of student visas, and the cooling of clean-energy projects as issues that risk unraveling years of progress. The former envoy reminded listeners that Indian students once accounted for the largest foreign cohort on US campuses, yet recent policy shifts have cut visa success rates by as much as seventy percent. He urged American policymakers to recognize that countries like Japan, Britain, and Germany are stepping up recruitment of Indian graduates, threatening US access to top global talent. Verma also argued that India’s demographic surge—projected to host the world’s largest middle class and graduate pool by 2030—makes sustained engagement indispensable for American economic and technological leadership. On institutional reform, he stressed that the United Nations Security Council must evolve to remain relevant, and he pointed to promising new avenues of cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductor supply chains, and critical minerals as proof that the partnership still holds immense untapped potential.