First Principles IAS · Current affairs

The monthly magazine, October 2026 · Global Affairs and International Relations › United States

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Green cards barred, oil courted and navigation contested: India and the United States in October

LeadPrelims and Mains31 Oct 2026

Why in news

In October 2026 the United States Labour Department suspended eight firms, among them Infosys, Tata and Microsoft, from the Permanent Labour Certification programme through which employers sponsor H-1B workers for green cards. India's Ministry of External Affairs said the step "does not advance the shared ambitions of both countries".
Later in the month the United States Secretary of State visited Mumbai and Jamnagar, called India a "refining superpower", discussed Indian purchases of American and Venezuelan crude, and held an unannounced India United States United Arab Emirates trilateral with the Emirati Foreign Minister.
The American report published in the same month lists three freedom of navigation operations against Indian maritime claims in its fiscal year 2025, the most in one year since publication began in 1991.

An H-1B visa is a temporary work permit. The Permanent Labour Certification is the first step of an employment based green card. The chain figure traces the four steps from the visa to the card and where the suspension cuts in.
The Freedom of Navigation programme began in 1979. The United States protests what it considers excessive maritime claims through diplomatic notes and operations by its forces. It has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea but treats many of its provisions as customary law.
India requires foreign warships to give prior notice before entering its territorial sea, and its consent before they exercise in its exclusive economic zone. The American position is that the Convention allows neither limit. The figure shows the maritime zones under the Convention.

India called the remarks of the American Vice President, who announced the step, "unwarranted" and "deeply offensive".
The direct effect is small. Wider work visa curbs would hurt more, since India's software and business services exports were $221 billion in 2025-26.

The Secretary of State discussed Indian purchases of American oil and more Venezuelan crude for refining at Jamnagar, the world's largest refining complex. Washington wants to sell energy. India needs to replace Gulf supply hit by the Hormuz blockade.
The trilateral with the United Arab Emirates covered energy, connectivity and trade. The readouts did not mention the I2U2 grouping of 2021 or the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor of 2023.

What the three operations challenged

The first recorded against India since 2021; no public Indian protest this time
Since 1991: assertions against 75 countries; India ranks seventh, ahead of Japan and South Korea; China and Iran lead

Energy holds the relationship together, but it does not settle the disputes. Washington courted India on one subject in October, oil, and left the disputes on visas, tariffs, sanctions and the sea where they were. Both sides treat the relationship as a transaction.
The green card block hurts the relationship more than the firms. The numbers are small, but the step targets the Indian professional, the human link both sides praise. India's reply, unusually sharp, treated the words as the injury.
The navigation record asks a question India has not answered. Three operations in a year of close naval cooperation suggest the programme follows legal doctrine rather than the state of relations. India has not stated its legal position on each operation.

Close the trade deal and settle the visa and sanctions disputes, so that energy and technology cooperation has a base.
State India's legal position on each freedom of navigation operation, and review the baselines and the exercise rule against the Convention.
Build Indian Ocean security through the Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and the Indian Ocean Rim Association.

Prelims:
- H-1B is a temporary work visa; the Permanent Labour Certification is the first step to an employment based green card
- Jamnagar hosts the world's largest refining complex
- I2U2: India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States
- Under the Law of the Sea Convention: territorial sea 12 nautical miles, contiguous zone 24, exclusive economic zone 200; innocent passage through the territorial sea
- The United States has not ratified the Convention; its Freedom of Navigation programme dates from 1979

Mains: "Energy holds India United States ties together at a time of strain." Discuss with reference to the events of October 2026.

Show the questions

Mains 2019 GS2: 'What introduces friction into the ties between India and the United States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy, which would satisfy India's national self-esteem and ambitions.' Explain with suitable examples.
Prelims 2022: With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements: 1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention. 2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. 3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Mains 2026 GS2: “India's global diaspora acts as a living bridge, as a critical economic factor and knowledge network in transforming cultural heritage into geopolitical influence and strategic leverage worldwide.” Critically examine this statement.

Sources

Settled facts (dates of Acts, constitutional provisions, standing definitions) are from standard references.