Page 3 - H-1b Visas

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

We should welcome more immigrants: Former US NSA Bolton on H-1B visa scheme

He further emphasised that the H-1B visa programme has a positive impact for the US and suggested a need for a 'political will' to allow more legal immigration

US has broad support for expanding legal immigration, says Neera Tanden

America is a nation of immigrants, and there's broad support for expanding legal immigration in the country, a top domestic policy advisor to US President Joe Biden has said amidst a raging debate on the most sought-after H-1B visa. The H-1B visa programme allows US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations. Indian companies have been significant beneficiaries of this programme, particularly in the technology sector. I think even in the raging immigration debate, it's really important for all of us to remember that we are a nation of immigrants, and there's broad support for expanding legal immigration in the country,". We'll see how that goes in the future, but that's been the case, Indian-American Neera Tanden told PTI in an interview. Indians are the main beneficiaries of the H-1B visas, which bring in the best of the talent and brains from across the world. Highly skilled professionals from India walk away with the overwhelming number of H-1B visa

Backlash over H-1B visas shows Indians they're not so special anymore

The temporary work permits are the only real way to employ Indian immigrants in the US, since national caps make it nearly impossible for them to get a green card

TCS, Infosys, Wipro on edge as H-1B changes loom with Trump's return

This may have an impact on India's $250 billion tech sector which plays an important role in the economy, employing about 5.4 million people

MAGA vs techies: Trump's H-1B dilemma exposes ideological fault lines

The H-1B visa debate pits MAGA hardliners against tech billionaires, revealing deep divisions over immigration and economic policy in Trump's incoming administration

Initial registration period for in-demand H-1B visas to close on March 22

The initial registration period for the H-1B visas, the most sought-after by Indian IT professionals, for fiscal 2025 closes on March 22, 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 2025 closes at 12 noon Eastern Time (9:30 pm IST) on March 22, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Monday. During this period, prospective petitioners and legal representatives must use an online account of US Citizenship and Immigration Services to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary. Online account users will also be ab

USCIS launches new system related to H1-B registrations, petitions

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a statement on Wednesday announced the launch of myUSCIS organisational accounts

'US working to further reduce visitor visa wait time for Indians'

The United States is working towards further reducing the wait time for visitor visas for Indians following a decrease of 75 per cent last year, according to US Bureau of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Rena Bitter. In an interview with PTI, Bitter noted that today more Indians can travel to the United States than in any other time in history. "Last year, the Embassy in India processed 1.4 million visas, explosion of an incredible number...in every category there is no wait time at all except in one area of travel where there is still some wait time and that is people travelling for the first time to the United States for tourism," she said. "It has been reduced 75 per cent over the last year and we are working really hard on this. We recognise that it is an incredibly important bilateral relationship and the foundation of the relationship is the people-to-people ties, the business travel and the family ties. All these things are important to us and in Washington we are doing a

USCIS unveils H-1B programme reforms for FY 2025, streamlines processes

The initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap will open on March 6, 2024, and run through March 22, 2024

US hits H-1B visa cap for FY24: All you need to know

This limit, known as the H-1B cap, is currently set at 85,000, with an additional 20,000 visas reserved for individuals who have earned a Master's degree or higher from a US institution

Ramaswamy wants to end H-1B visa programme, calls it 'indentured servitude'

Calling the H-1B visa programme "indentured servitude", Indian-American Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to gut the lottery-based system and replace it with meritocratic admission if he wins the race to the White House in 2024. The H-1B visa, the much-sought-after among Indian IT professionals, 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. Ramaswamy himself has used the visa programme 29 times. From 2018 through 2023, US Citizenship and Immigration Services approved 29 applications for Ramaswamy's former company, Roivant Sciences, to hire employees under H-1B visas. Yet, the H-1B system is bad for everyone involved, Ramaswamy was quoted as saying by Politico. The lottery system needs to be replaced by actual meritocratic admission. It

US to introduce in-country hassle-free renewable for H-1B visa: Official

The US is set to introduce in-country renewable H-1B visas, a significant decision that would help thousands of Indian professionals in staying in the country to continue with their jobs without the hassle of travelling overseas for the renewal of their work visas. This is part of the people-to-people initiative, a senior administration official said ahead of the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden at the White House here on Thursday. The much-sought-after 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 United States last year issued 125,000 visas to Indian students, which is a record and they are on pace to become the largest foreign student community in the United States with a 20 per cent increase last ye

H1B lottery scam: What is visa fraud and how to avoid being a victim of it

The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise

Faster Green Card for Indians? All you need to know about the new EAGLE Act

The primary aim of the EAGLE Act is to shift the basis of giving the Green Card from the place of birth to skills

US intends to issue 100,000 visas every month to Indian applicants

According to a senior official of the US embassy, India is America's top priority for issuance of visas

United States recieves 65,000 petitions for H-1B visa cap for 2022: USCIS

The US has received enough petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for the fiscal year 2022, a federal agency has announced.

Technology company Cloudgen admits to H-1B visa fraud involving Indians

The technology company has admitted to committing fraud to bring Indians on the coveted H1-B visas to the US, according to a federal prosecutor