Page 2 - H-1b Visas

Asian stocks edge up as Trump visa crackdown weighs on market sentiment

US stock futures eased in early trading with the S&P futures down 0.1 per cent

Trump's H-1B visa salvo: Costly for US firms, boon for India's economy

Students in the US on F-1 visas may be spared if they convert to H-1Bs without leaving - a strong incentive to remain in the country and push for permanent residency

Trump's H-1B shock: Offshoring likely to get lift, IT cos may take a hit

New US visa fee piles pressure on Indian IT firms, threatening margins and accelerating shift to GCCs, automation, and local hiring

Race against time: Travel bookings to US spike after Trump's visa diktat

The US move to hike H-1B visa fees to $100,000 triggered a surge in last-minute bookings to the States, though officials later clarified the rule applies only to new applicants

A shock to IT: Indian companies should take the H-1B hit and move on

The decision also shows that Mr Trump is becoming more radical with his time in office, not less

Will PM address Trump's ceasefire claims, H-1B visa concerns: Congress

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, the Congress on Sunday took a swipe at him, asking whether he will address US President Donald Trump's India-Pakistan "ceasefire" claims and the concerns of lakhs of Indian H1B visa holders or just repeat what is already known on the new GST rates. Prime Minister Modi will address the nation at 5 pm on Sunday, his office said. However, the Prime Minister's Office gave no indication of the subject of his address in the evening. His address will come on the eve of Navratri, the day from when the revised GST rates will kick in, with the prices of a large number of products set to come down. In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "As the PM prepares to address the nation, his good friend in Washington DC has once again stolen his thunder and claimed -- for the 42nd time - that he stopped Operation Sindoor by using increased trade with America as leverage." President Trump has

H-1B visa fee hike, GST cut, trade talks likely to steer markets this week

The decision to hike US H-1B visa application fee to USD 100,000, trade talks and the GST rate cut will be the key drivers for stock market movement this week, analysts said. Besides, trends in global equity markets would also be tracked by investors. "This week, markets will first react to the US imposing an annual fee of USD 100,000 on H-1B visas, announced late Friday. While export-driven sectors are already grappling with tariff-related pressures, this move could further weigh on IT services exporters at a sensitive time when trade negotiations remain underway," Ajit Mishra SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd, said. Globally, investors will be closely monitoring the performance of US markets in the aftermath of the Federal Reserve's rate cut, he added. Trouble mounted for the USD 285-billion Indian IT sector in its largest outsourcing market, as the US decided to hike H-1B visa application fee to USD 100,000 (about Rs 88 lakh), with apex body Nasscom warning that business ...

US Chamber of Commerce expresses concern over Trump's H-1B visa fee hike

We're concerned about the impact on employees, their families, and employers, the Chamber said

Indian Embassy in US issues emergency number amid H-1B visa fee hike

With 71-72 per cent of H-1B visas going to Indians, the move has sparked concerns about its effects on Indian tech professionals and remittances

Govt studying implications of proposed US curbs on H-1B visas: MEA

The ministry said the implications of the measure are being studied, including by Indian industry, which has already issued an initial assessment

$100K H-1B fee may reduce new applications, boost offshoring: Mohandas Pai

Former Infosys CFO and industry veteran Mohandas Pai on Saturday said the US move to impose a steep USD 100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applicants will dampen fresh applications by companies and may accelerate offshoring in coming months. US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation that will impose USD 100,000 annual visa fee for highly skilled workers. The H-1B nonimmigrant visa programme was created to bring temporary workers into the US to perform additive, high-skilled functions, but it has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labour, Trump said in the proclamation. Dismissing the notion that companies use H-1B visas to send cheap labour to the US, Pai pointed out that the average salary paid by the top 20 H-1B employers exceeds USD 100,000, and criticised what he termed as misplaced "rhetoric carrying on." An IT industry expert who did not wish to be named said that the fresh approvals for Indian

$100K H-1B visa fees add to TCS' woes; firm second-biggest beneficiary

Tata Consultancy Services could be among the worst hit by Trump's new visa fee targeting foreign tech workers

Trump to impose $100K fee per year for H-1B visas, likely to impact Indians

India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71 per cent of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second at 11.7 per cent, according to government data

Trump's immigration overhaul: What it means for H-1B and citizenship tests

US to prioritise high-wage roles in visa lottery; tougher naturalisation standards planned

Trump's immigration push puts spotlight on coveted H-1B visa programme

The H-1B visa has long been a highly coveted employment visa for foreign citizens with specialised skills to live and work in the US, and recent requests from the Trump administration have put greater attention on the programme. The requests for more information from people applying for or renewing H-1B visas come amid heightened tensions over immigration as President Donald Trump seeks to make good on his vow of mass deportations of people in the country illegally. Much of Trump's agenda has been focused on arresting people in the country illegally or reversing Biden-era temporary deportation protections. There has been less attention on employment-based visas or other parts of the legal immigration system though more than 1,000 international students have had their visas or legal status revoked. The requests for information come as the H-1B visa programme is already a source of division within Trump's Republican Party. Here's a look at what the H-1B visa programme is, what criti

TCS accused of visa violations by former staffers, company rejects claims

TCS has firmly rejected the accusations, saying, 'we strongly refute these inaccurate allegations by former employees, which have previously been dismissed by multiple courts'

USCIS announces H-1B initial registration period to begin on March 7

The initial registration period for the H-1B visas, the most sought-after by Indian IT professionals, for fiscal 2026 will commence on March 7 and close on March 24, a federal agency has said. 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. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. The initial registration period for the most sought-after H-1B visas for foreign guest workers for fiscal 2026 will open at noon Eastern Time (10:30 pm IST) on March 7 and run through noon Eastern Time (10:30 pm IST) on March 24, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Wednesday. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each ...

Indians received 72% of all H-1B visas issued from Oct 2022-Sept 2023: Govt

Indian nationals received 72.3 per cent of all H1B visas issued by the US for the period October 2022 to September 2023, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday citing the US Citizenship and Immigration Services data. The government also told the Upper House that there were 21,928 Indian students before the start of the conflict in Ukraine, but as on November 01, 2024, only 1,802 students were enrolled in various Ukrainian universities. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha said the government of India is "closely engaged with the US administration" and other stakeholders on all issues pertaining to the H1B visa programme through relevant bilateral dialogue mechanisms. The Ministry of External Affairs was asked whether it is in talks with the US government regarding the possible restrictions on the H1B visa programme, and if so, the details and steps taken in this regard. "Mobility of skilled Indian ..

US Senators push to reverse auto-renewal of work permits back to 180 days

Two influential Republican Senators have introduced a resolution to reverse a Biden-era rule that increased the period for renewing work permits from 180 to 540 days. The automatic extension of the Employment Authorisation Document (EAD) from 180 days to 540 days was of great help to the spouses of H-1B visa holders, a significant number of whom were from India. The rule finalised by the Department of Homeland Security on January 13 applies broadly to immigrants, refugees, green card holders, spouses of H-1B visa holders and more. Introduced on Thursday jointly by Senators John Kennedy and Rick Scott, the resolution seeks disapproval under Congressional Review Act (CRA) procedures for the Biden administration's rule that automatically extended the renewal period for an immigrant EAD to almost a year-and-a-half before officials could review those permits. The Biden administration's dangerous rule automatically extended work permits for immigrants to 540 days. Giving immigrants more

Future of over 20,000 'undocumented' Indians hazy: Foreign affairs expert

Sachdev emphasised that even though Indians are major beneficiaries of H-1B visa program, with over 300,000 Indian students in the US, the plight of these 20,000 undocumented Indians remains a concern