ZURICH: India has dragged the US to the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) over its controversial decisions to impose higher fees and fix numerical limits on work visas such as L-1and H-1B.Seeking consultations with the US — which is the first step of a dispute at the multilateral trade body — the Indian government has alleged that the visa rules favour US workers over those from other countries.The issue is of special interest to India as several Indian software professionals go to the US every year on temporary work visas. The rules impact Indian information technology firms as they are being forced to hire local workers, which pushes up their overall cost of operations.Although the government has been toying with the idea of seeking WTO’s intervention on visa issues, it had been reluctant earlier as entry of foreigners is also a sovereign decision. The move comes ahead of the US presidential elections, where displacement of American workers and offshoring of jobs is an emotive issue.The US has 10 days to respond to the request for consultation, which will go to WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body if the two trading partners cannot reach a satisfactory agreement.The WTO General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS) accord deals with services and movement of natural persons. Indian government claims that these and comparable measures imposed on the country are not in conformity with several provisions of the GATS, including those on Movement of Natural Persons Supplying Services.In its complaint to the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, India said that the current measures for visas in the L-1 and H-1B category appear to be inconsistent with the rules in the same way as the earlier measures. The complaint said that the visa rules appear to nullify or impair the benefits to India directly and indirectly under the GATS.According to the WTO, member countries have agreed that if they believe fellowmembers are violating trade rules, they will use the multilateral system of settling disputes instead of taking action unilaterally. That means abiding by the agreed procedures, and respecting judgements.