“We are trying to fix 20 years of neglect of an immigration system that was simply not being enforced, and that’s not targeted at India,” he told The Indian Express during his ongoing visit to India, his second in five months.

PERM is a key step in the employer-sponsored Green Card process. While the suspension does not directly affect new H-1B visa applications, it has raised concerns over the long-term career prospects of foreign professionals, particularly Indians seeking to work in the US. H-1B visas have also faced pressure under the Trump administration.

Addressing concerns over US tariffs, including measures announced against countries importing Russian oil and gas, Rubio acknowledged that such steps could affect economic ties and would need careful management.

The Secretary of State further stressed that the US did not intend to use tariffs to damage its relationship with India.

“None of these tariffs are done to punish or to harm India,” he told The Indian Express while asserting the importance of managing the issue carefully.

Rubio’s assurance came just days after Trump waived sanctions, restrictions and duties targeting major buyers of Russian energy, a day before the proposed 100 per cent tariffs on India were due to take effect.

The President’s decision put on hold measures that could have imposed tariffs of up to 100 per cent on goods from countries including India and China. The waiver will remain in effect until Trump or his administration determines that further action is necessary.

Meanwhile, he expressed confidence that the long-pending India-US trade deal could be finalised within weeks, with the remaining differences largely centred on the interpretation of specific words and phrases.

He described the negotiations as being on a positive trajectory, while cautioning that the final details still needed to be settled.

“I think we’re incredibly close. The way I would say it is, we are weeks, not months, away from, I think, finalising it,” he told the newspaper, adding that he believed 99 per cent of the work was done.

He said Washington did not view its relationship with Pakistan, or any other country, as a trade-off against ties with New Delhi.