Here are list of some of the big ticket announcements.
The proposed overhaul of popular H-1B visa regime may result in higher operational costs and shortage of skilled workers for the $110-billion Indian outsourcing industry.
Francisco J Sanchez, US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, on Thursday downplayed the issue of H-1B visa denial to Indian companies.
GST 2.0 may cushion consumers against US tariffs, but like the 2019 corporate tax cut, it risks being another tactical fix rather than a structural growth strategy, expects Debashis Basu.
Why the proposed United States rule change for H-4 (dependent) visa holders is not enough and what you should do about it
Software services industry may have to relook its cost structure to maintain a higher margin.
Despite the rise in visa application fee and increasing pressure from the US to hire more locally, the number of H-1B and L-1 visa holders at most of the top Indian information technology firms are expected to increase further.
Leading Indian and global information technology firms such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Cognizant Technology Solutions, IBM, Satyam Computer Services and Wipro top the list of L visa users for the financial year 2006-07.
A recent US Department of State directive to the US consular posts now requires consulting an electronic record for visa issuance in these categories.
US Chamber of Commerce official says the pattern of visa denials is quite clear.
B1 visas are essentially short-term visas for business travellers, which allow a person to stay for six months to a year.
A lot needs to be clarified about your work visa when you are thinking of migrating to US, even if it is for a couple of years. Here's help from experts.
With Donald Trump all set to become US president, Indian exporters may face high customs duties for goods like automobiles, textiles and pharmaceuticals if the new US administration decides to pursue the 'America First' agenda, opined trade experts. Experts also said that Trump could also tighten H-1B visa rules, impacting costs and growth for Indian IT firms. Over 80 per cent of India's IT export earnings come from the US, making it vulnerable to changes in visa policies.
'Non-compatible with Western Civilization' is about as vague and jingoistic as it gets and Trump saying this gives full license to his acolytes to go full throttle on making life as difficult and scary as possible for as many non-white people as possible,' notes Sree Sreenivasan.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala wondered why Prime Minister Modi was 'silent' on his 'India First' policy as President Trump talked of 'America First'.
Dr Vakil, a US visa expert, had been a regular contributor to Get Ahead and hosted a number of chats with our readers.
'For the Indian economy to maintain a growth rate of 7 to 8 per cent, it needs large foreign direct investment coming in, and that's mainly coming from the US.'
It said the decision was a result of the United States government's 'pro-growth economic agenda'.
Indian IT firms are not losing sleep over the recent report of spike in visa denials in the L1 and H1-B visa category, as they have been dealing with high visa denial rates since the last two years.
The StartUp Visa Act of 2011 will allow an immigrant entrepreneur to receive a two-year visa if he or she can show that a qualified US investor is willing to invest in the immigrant's start-up venture.
The official spokesperson of the US Embassy, New Delhi speaks about the visa process and shares advice on studying in the US.
'Accusations would be flung about his votes being stolen. He'll say dead people were voting from the grave.' Payal Singh Mohanka reports on the mood ahead of the US presidential election.
A US prosecutor who successfully investigated a precedent-setting work visa fraud case against Infosys, resulting in the Indian IT giant paying a whopping $34 million in fine, has been recognised by Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Charles Johnson for his work.
No change in rules that govern sending professionals under H1-B visa regime
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said if 'you look at the totality of our ties and we will look at where we have strong economic synergies, where we have strong technology promptings, these are really based on the flow of talent.'
The provisions of the bill related to the conditions on issuing H-1B visas is being opposed by Indian companies, who heavily rely in this category of work visas.
Indian IT professionals in the US have welcomed the proposed immigration bill on several counts, particularly the Green Card, introduction of merit-based visa and increase in H-1B visa quota.
rediffGURU Geeta Ratra offers expert advice on international courses, student visas and immigration processes.
Nearly, 40 per cent of Fortune 500 companies have been founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants.
Most of the large Indian IT services players, such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Tech, have signalled increased offshoring efforts and opting for local hires in the US, primarily to address the immigration-related challenges.
A dearth of skilled staff, especially for high-end technologies, coupled with difficulty in obtaining H1-B visas, is prompting Indian IT companies to hire more people on a temporary basis overseas.
The US state department, which issued the revised travel advisory, on Wednesday said that the exemptions have been given under the national interest category.
Infosys will pay California $800,000 to resolve allegations that, between 2006 and 2017, approximately 500 Infosys employees were working in the state on Infosys-sponsored B-1 visas rather than H-1B visas, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said. In 2017, Infosys had agreed to pay the State of New York $1 million to settle allegations of submitting wrong documents to federal authorities.
As Indian-origin entrepreneur and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy pulled out of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), just 69 days after he was announced the co-head of the team along with tech billionaire Elon Musk, a report has revealed that it was the Tesla CEO who wanted Ramaswamy 'out' of the team.
India has a comparative edge over key competitors in a majority of products it exports to the US and stands to gain market share as the US raises tariffs on its major trade partners, NITI Aayog said on Monday. In its quarterly trade report, it recommended that the government fast-track the India-US free trade agreement with time-bound goals to resolve non-tariff barriers and finalise digital trade rules on data flows and e-signatures to support services exports.
The US is 'putting every ounce of its energy' to eliminate the long visa wait time in India, including sending a cadre of consular officers to the country and opening up its other overseas embassies as far away as Germany and Thailand for Indian visa applicants, according to a senior US visa officer. India was one of the very few countries where applications for US visas saw a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted. There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories.
But Indian information technology workers might do better without the companies that held them back, says Mihir S Sharma.
The industry's operating margins will narrow by 0.30- 0.80 per cent largely on an increase in local hires which the industry has been forced into due to the policy framework in its markets.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has received about 22,000 petitions for the much sought after H-1B work visas in the first four days after it started accepting applications on April 2, officials said.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances