Warning against rising anti-Indian rhetoric during the election season and proposed immigration curbs, non-profit organisation Indiaspora has cautioned that targeting H-1B visa holders could pose serious economic risks to the United States. In a statement issued on October 30, the non-partisan group expressed concern over political efforts to demonise Indian-origin professionals, who play a key role in sectors such as healthcare, technology, and education. "H-1B workers from India have helped make America the world's innovation leader, generating billions for the American economy. Driving them away could have very serious consequences for communities nationwide, from major cities to small towns," said Sanjeev Joshipura, Executive Director of Indiaspora. The diaspora organisation raised an alarm over proposed regulatory measures, including petition fees exceeding USD 1,00,000 for high-tech and healthcare employers, replacing the randomised lottery with a wage-weighted mechanism that
Walmart has paused hiring workers needing H-1B visas after the Trump administration introduced a $100,000 fee, creating uncertainty for employers and foreign employees
The Trump administration last month slapped a $100,000 fee for new H-1B applications in a bid to overhaul the visa programme and curb overuse
H-1B final rule modernizes the H-1B program by streamlining the approval process, increasing its flexibility to better allow employers to retain talent workers and improving the integrity of programme
The US issues up to 85,000 H-1B visas each year. Most of the nearly 600,000 H-1B visa holders are from India and China
Dept of Homeland Security will now push date of the rule March 9 to December 31, will review it as a whole for potential changes or for rescinding it
A US court has blocked two H-1B regulations proposed by the Trump administration to restrict the ability of American companies to hire foreign employees
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise
US recently clarified computer programmers, to be eligible under the H-1B visa norms