A trade war wages across US consulates in India over H-1B visas. Is a truce in sight?

"America’s unofficial trade war against India might be coming to an end.  For the last few years, US consulates across India have excessively scrutinized visa applicants in the H-1B and L categories.  These refer to highly skilled professional workers and inter-company transfers, respectively, who can work on temporary visas subject to renewal for a maximum of five to seven years.  But last week, the US Embassy in India announced that interviews for H-1B and L visa renewals can be waived. ... While the interview waiver is a positive signal, it is too soon to tell whether this represents a change in the mindset of the immigration authorities who seem to think Indian IT consulting companies displace US workers, especially after the economic downturn in 2008.  An attack on this business model, which provides flexibility and reliability to US companies at affordable prices that benefits consumers and drives further innovation, will deprive the US of further job creation and growth.  Once this is realized, it is hoped that the unofficial trade war will be called off." - Cyrus D. Mehta, Nov. 29, 2012.