New Delhi: India’s foreign policy is guided by its “overarching national interest,” and engagements with different partners are guided by considerations of mutual benefit, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.
In a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh also said “strategic autonomy” is an important strand of the country’s foreign policy.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut asked the Ministry of External Affairs whether the government has reviewed “concerns” that India’s foreign policy is projecting “conflicting signals” under the rubric of strategic autonomy.
“India’s foreign policy is guided by its overarching national interest. Strategic autonomy is an important strand of our foreign policy. Engagements with different partners are guided by considerations of mutual benefit,” Singh said.
Decisions relating to energy and defence are based on “considerations of security and availability, as well as the need to diversify sourcing,” he said.
The MEA was also asked how continued energy trade and military engagements with Russia are being reconciled with India’s commitment to a rules-based international order and partnerships with Western nations.
Singh said, “India’s foreign policy has responded fully to the requirements of a multipolar world”.
“We are regarded as a credible partner by a wide variety of groupings and this is reflected in expanded diplomatic engagements. This is also the case in the neighbourhood, where India continues to maintain strong relations,” he added.
Sustained political and developmental engagement in its immediate neighbourhood covers India’s initiatives in being a primary provider of development finance, acting as a first responder in crisis situations, building strong people-to-people linkages and bolstering capacity development, the MoS said.
In a separate query, the government was asked whether it has assessed the impact of the recent H-1B visa policy and processing issues on Indian professionals working in the US, and the number of Indian nationals expected to return to India due to such issues.
“While visa-related decisions are sovereign matters, India believes that skilled talent mobility has long played a significant role in promoting technology advancement, innovation, economic growth, and wealth creation in both India and the United States. Stakeholders in both countries remain engaged in discussions on ensuring continued support for innovation-driven industries,” Singh said.
On September 19, 2025, the US administration issued a Presidential Proclamation titled Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers which imposed a fee of USD 100,000 on certain new H-1B petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025, the government said in the response.
The objective of the proclamation was to reform the H-1B visa programme to “curb abuses and protect American workers”.
“Subsequently, on September 21, 2025, the United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) issued FAQs providing clarity that the fee of USD 100,000 is not applicable to the following categories — Those who already have H-1B visas; Those who have filed H-1B petitions prior to to 12:01 am eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025; Those who have filed for H-1B renewals; Those who hold a current H-1B visa and are travelling in and out of the United States; F-1 students already in the United States and transitioning to H-1B status via change of status,” he added.
On December 3, 2025, the US Department of State announced that beginning December 15, it will carry out a vetting of the online presence of all H-1B applicants and their dependents (H-4) to determine their admissibility to the US.
“Subsequently, the consular appointments of several H-1B and H-4 visa applicants scheduled in December 2025 were rescheduled to new dates in 2026, leading to a large number of the applicants remaining in India,” he added.
Furthermore, on December 29, 2025, the US Department of Homeland Security issued a new rule implementing a “weighted selection process” that would generally favour the allocation of H-1B visas to higher skilled and higher paid aliens, effective from February 27, 2026, he said.
Since the above measures are of recent nature, there is “no comparable data” as yet on the impact on Indian nationals, Singh said.
