IT companies to get most of H1B visas under new US law: American expert

Changes being brought in US immigration policies intend to link granting of these visas to skills required for its economy

The largest receivers of H1B visas from India will  be Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) among others in the IT sector once the new immigration Bill is passed by the US Congress, likely this year, according to Edward Alden, an expert in international relations and American immigration laws.

The shift in the issuance of H1B visas, though considered as one of the difficulties arising out of the new law, will happen as the changes that are being brought in the country’s immigration policies intend  to link the granting of these visas to the skills required for its economy, he said.

Indian IT companies send some of its employees to work at the client locations based on the specific requirements of the projects outsourced to them in the US. They are sent on H1B visas by their respective companies.

Majority of immigrants coming into the US are from Latin America and Asia. But most of it is a family-based immigration unlike in countries such as Australia and Canada that allow people with skills relevant to these countries, Alden, Bernard L Schwartz Senior Fellow of the Council of Foreign Relations, a Washington-based think-tank explained in an interactive session here on Thursday.

On the more positive side, for those aspiring to get US work visas, the new law will do away with  the country-wise quota system currently followed for the issuance of H1B visas. Job holders can freely change their employers and their spouses can be allowed to take up jobs, he said.

The second term in office of President Obama has been witnessing a lot of focus on international trade relations as is seen in the ongoing negotiations on TransPacific and European free trade partnership, according to him.