Jaishankar Warns US and Europe: Restricting Skilled Immigration Will Make You "Net Losers" in Global Economy

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar cautioned on Wednesday that the United States and Europe could undermine their own interests by implementing stricter immigration policies that limit skilled professional mobility.

"The part which concerns us is to convince them that mobility, the use of talent across boundaries, is to our mutual benefit," Jaishankar stated at India's World Annual Conclave 2025. "They would be net losers if they actually erected too many roadblocks to the flow of talent."

Jaishankar emphasized that in democratic societies, people have the freedom to pursue opportunities wherever they emerge, and governments should not force them to remain in their home countries. "We can't tell people not to go out to work. There's a freedom of movement. We're a democratic society. They have the freedom to travel. If they get better prospects, of course, they will look at it. The common-sense thing is to create opportunities at home," he explained.

The minister suggested that talent retention requires dual approaches: expanding India's skilled workforce while ensuring sufficient economic growth to create employment opportunities. "Unless we are able to sustain high growth rates, we will not be able to find opportunities for their employment and retention," he noted.

His comments come amid increasingly restrictive immigration policies under US President Donald Trump and similar trends across the European Union. Jaishankar attributed these anti-immigration positions to previous policy decisions rather than talent mobility itself. "If there are concerns in the United States or in Europe, it is because they very consciously and deliberately, over the last two decades, allowed their businesses to relocate. It was their choice and strategy. They have to find ways of fixing it, and many of them are," he remarked.

Jaishankar also highlighted the political climate in Western countries, where leaders increasingly claim migrants are "stealing" jobs - rhetoric amplified by far-right supporters of Trump, particularly those demanding restrictions on or elimination of H-1B visas. Similar narratives have gained popularity in the UK and European countries like Germany, where the AfD party has gained support.

The minister warned that such restrictive approaches will ultimately prove counterproductive. "As we move into an era of advanced manufacturing, we will need more talent, not less, and talent cannot be developed organically at a high rate. There is a certain structural impediment out there. In their own societies, you can see the tension," he concluded.