H-1b Visa

Bill in US Congress seeks to end H-1B visa as route to green card

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 ...

US softens 'leave country' rule for getting Green Card with some exceptions

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

H-1B registrations down; more approvals for higher degrees, salaries

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

H-1B visa workers are not undercutting US peers; they aren't cheap labour

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

As US visa policies tighten, international students find job market tougher

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

Half-truth in Trump's 'hellhole' remark on how Indians get US citizenship

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

America’s new H-1B crackdown: Why this Bill could impact Indian tech workers | US Visa

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 AG Ken Paxton launches probe in 'ghost offices' in alleged H-1B fraud

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

Republicans introduce bill for 3-year pause on H-1B visas in US Congress

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

'Great contributors to US': JD Vance praises his Indian-origin in-laws | H-1B visa | US Immigration

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 H-1B wage overhaul may raise pay by $14,000; applications fall

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

Spouses of H-1B holders sue US govt over end of automatic work permits

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

Amazon allows H-1B employees stranded in India to work remotely till March

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

Fight over Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee heads to US appeals court

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

One of America's most successful experiments is coming to a shuddering halt

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

H-1B reset: Students and entry-level talent may be the hardest hit

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

Clinging to the H-1B lottery has finally caught up with Indian ITeS

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

US ends H-1B visa lottery: What the new skill-and-wage system means for Indians | Immigration

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

Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa application fee upheld by US federal judge

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

US visa curbs, AI surge shape cautious outlook for Indian IT in 2026

India's USD 280-billion IT industry heads into 2026, balancing visa-related headwinds and global trade uncertainty against its biggest-ever push into artificial intelligence and the rapid expansion of global capability centres (GCCs). Heightened scrutiny of the US H-1B visa programme - including a proposed USD 100,000 fee for new visas and concerns over a potential 25 per cent outsourcing tax - has complicated cross-border delivery for Indian firms, even as companies accelerate efforts to reduce reliance on onsite staffing. The US remains the sector's largest export market. The visa proposals triggered market volatility in late 2025, disrupting travel plans and denting IT stocks, before partial clarifications offered limited relief. Fresh concerns have since emerged around social media screening and unpredictable processing delays. Analysts warn that sharply higher visa costs could add hundreds of millions of dollars to expenses for large IT firms, reinforcing the shift toward ...