H-1B Visa

A federal judge on Monday ruled that the USD 100,000 fee imposed by US President Donald Trump for H-1B applications was unlawful as it did not have the approval of Congress. "...the Court finds that the Policy imposes a tax on H-1B petitions without the requisite delegation by Congress," US District Court judge Leo Sorokin in Boston, Massachusetts, said in a ruling. The H-1B programme is one of the most sought-after US work visas that allows American companies to hire skilled global talent. Trump's order proposing a USD 100,000 annual fee per H-1B worker left many uncertain about visa reforms and new requirements. In September last year, Trump signed a proclamation adding the USD 100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications. The fees are generally paid for by a sponsoring employer, and administration officials have cast it as an initiative to encourage companies to hire Americans instead. "Here, the substance and application of the USD 100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regard

A hardline Republican lawmaker has introduced a draft legislation in the US Congress seeking an overhaul of the H-1B visa programme, including ending its use as a pathway to permanent residency in the United States. Congressman Chip Roy introduced the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act on Thursday. The proposed legislation also seeks to scrap the optional practical training (OPT) programme, which allows foreign students to work in the US for a limited period after graduation. "For its nearly forty-year history, the H-1B visa has been abused, allowing employers to routinely sideline American STEM workers in favour of cheap foreign labour, while masking layoffs and wage suppression as 'shortages.' "It's time to end this lottery-based pipeline and replace it with a system that prioritises merit, enforces real wage standards, and puts American white-collar workers first," said Roy, who represents the 21st district of Texas in Congress. The bill is backed by US Tech Workers, the ...

USCIS says applicants offering 'economic benefit' or serving 'national interest' may qualify for exemptions under stricter overseas Green Card processing policy

Registrations for H-1B visas dropped by 38.5 per cent in fiscal year 2027 with the US saying it had approved more applicants with advanced degrees and higher salaries of those "making a real impact on the economy." The decision by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is likely to affect the Indians the most, who made up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years. In a post on X on Thursday, the USCIS said only 17.7 per cent of all selected registrations were in the lowest wage category. "The number of properly submitted registrations plummeted by 38.5 per cent, from 3,43,981 in fiscal year 2026 to just 2,11,600 in fiscal year 2027," the USCIS said. Nearly three-fourths of the applications approved were of persons holding masters degrees or higher, the USCIS said. "We're approving more applicants with advanced degrees and higher salaries especially those who studied at US universities. An overwhelming 71.5 per cent of selected aliens

Salaries of foreign professionals are higher than those of their American counterparts, particularly in the tech industry

And Homeland Security has indefinitely paused the processing of visa applications for people from 39 countries

Green Card approvals for Indians relatively are evenly split between professional merit and family-sponsored routes

A new Republican-backed bill in the US wants to dramatically rewrite the H-1B visa system: fewer visas, a $200,000 salary rule, no dependents, and even a pause on new approvals. If passed,

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday launched investigations into 30 businesses in the state on suspected fraud and abuse of the H-1B visa programme by operating "ghost offices". The companies under investigation include Tekpro IT LLC, Fame PBX LLC, 1st Ranking Technologies LLC, Qubitz Tech Systems LLC, Blooming Clouds LLC, Virat Solutions, Inc., Oak Technologies Inc, Techpath Inc, and Techquency LLC, a statement from the Texas Attorney General's office said. "Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued Civil Investigative Demands ("CIDs") to nearly 30 North Texas businesses as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected fraud and abuse of the H-1B visa programme," it said. The statement said these companies are suspected of engaging in fraudulent practices designed to exploit the H-1B visa programme. "Reports indicate that several of these entities have operated so-called "ghost offices" as a scheme in which businesses falsely represent active operations in order to sponso

A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced a bill in the US Congress for a three-year pause to the H1-B visa programme, contending that it has been hijacked to replace American workers with cheap foreign labour. Congressman Eli Crane from Arizona introduced the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, which was co-sponsored by seven other Republican lawmakers. The bill proposes reforms to the H-1B programme that include reducing the annual cap from 65,000 to 25,000 with a minimum wage of USD 2,00,000 per year and disallowing H-1B visa holders from bringing dependents to the US. Congressmen Brian Babin, Brandon Gill, Wesley Hunt, Keith Self (all from Texas), Andy Ogles (Tennessee), Paul Gosar (Arizona) and Tom McClintock (California) have signed on as original cosponsors of the bill. The H-1B visa programme is used extensively by American technology companies to employ foreign workers. Indian professionals, including technology workers and physicians, form one of the largest groups of

US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday showered praise on his Indian-origin in-laws, saying they exemplify how immigrants have “enriched” the United States,

Proposed changes to H-1B wage norms could raise foreign worker pay by up to $14,000, even as applications fall sharply amid higher costs and tighter immigration rules

The lawsuit challenges a recent DHS rule change, arguing it was imposed without due process and could force thousands of legally employed dependents to stop working amid visa renewal delays

Amid prolonged US H-1B visa delays, Amazon has allowed affected staff in India to work from home until March 2026, but strict restrictions on coding, decision-making and client work remain in place

The H-1B visa program is a cornerstone of employment-based immigration, allowing companies in the US to hire college-educated foreign workers for specialized occupations

Since US immigration laws opened in 1965, Indian Americans have emerged as one of the country's most successful migrant groups, excelling in income, education and high-paying professions

The US has replaced random H-1B selection with a wage-weighted lottery and a new $100,000 fee for applications, raising uncertainty for students and junior hires, experts say

Indian ITeS should have moved away from the H-1B lottery

The United States has scrapped the H-1B visa lottery and replaced it with a skill- and wage-based selection system.

US District Judge Beryl Howell said in a ruling Tuesday that President Donald Trump's move to radically increase the cost of the popular visa is lawful