New Delhi: Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has warned that if countries like the US and Europe impose excessive restrictions on immigration and hinder the movement of professionals, they could undermine their own advantages and ultimately suffer losses.
Speaking at the India World Annual Conclave 2025 in New Delhi on Wednesday, Jaishankar questioned the growing political and social backlash against immigration in many countries, saying that this debate is often misplaced. He said, “Many of these are issues they need to address, because in many cases the real crisis has nothing to do with the mobility of incoming professionals.”
He said that many of the current concerns in Western countries stem from policy decisions taken over decades, rather than the presence of foreign professionals. The Foreign Minister said, “If there are any concerns in the US or Europe, it’s because they have very deliberately allowed their businesses to migrate over the past two decades.
That was their choice and strategy. They need to find ways to correct this, and there are many of them.” Jaishankar stressed the importance of highlighting the combined benefits of allowing talent to move freely between countries. He said, “Our concern is to make them understand that mobility, that is, the use of talent across borders, is for our mutual benefit. If they actually put too many barriers to the movement of talent, they will suffer.”
He said that as the economy moves towards advanced manufacturing, the need for skilled professionals will increase, and domestic systems alone will not be able to meet those demands. He said, “As we move into advanced manufacturing, we will need more talent, not less, and talent cannot be developed rapidly on our own.
There is a structural barrier. You can see the tension in their own societies.” Jaishankar expressed confidence that Western countries would eventually find a way to balance political pressure and economic reality. He said, “They might be able to establish some modest relationship there.”
