As a result, about 1,80,000 would be eligible to work in the US.
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.
'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.
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.
'Things may get much worse before they get better,' predicts Ajay Chhibber.
The foreign degree no longer sells itself, families are doing the math, and for many, the numbers just don't add up.
Software services industry may have to relook its cost structure to maintain a higher margin.
Why the proposed United States rule change for H-4 (dependent) visa holders is not enough and what you should do about it
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.
US Chamber of Commerce official says the pattern of visa denials is quite clear.
A recent US Department of State directive to the US consular posts now requires consulting an electronic record for visa issuance in these categories.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala wondered why Prime Minister Modi was 'silent' on his 'India First' policy as President Trump talked of 'America First'.
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.
Dr Vakil, a US visa expert, had been a regular contributor to Get Ahead and hosted a number of chats with our readers.
It said the decision was a result of the United States government's 'pro-growth economic agenda'.
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.
'The cooperation in technology is one of the most important aspects of the visit.' 'It will have a long-lasting impact because it will shift the entire paradigm in the context of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.'
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.
Indians have topped the number of illegal immigrants from Asian countries caught at land, sea, and air checkpoints of the US since 2022.
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
rediffGURU Geeta Ratra offers expert advice on international courses, student visas and immigration processes.
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.
Donald Trump's Presidency of the United States will open new opportunities for India though certain sectors, especially pharma and IT, may face the heat if the incoming president decides to impose restrictions on imports and H1B visa regulations, experts said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's friendly relationship with Trump will have a positive bearing on Indo-US relations but India may have to adapt its strategies to maintain cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
'Trump has no more elections to fight and his soaring ambition, which is no secret, will be to carve out a presidential legacy that outshines by far all his mediocre predecessors.' 'Trump's turnaround on the H-1B visa debate shows that he can take tough decisions and there are no holy cows in his domain,' asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
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.
Unless something changes, Mr Trump is a huge threat right now, which is perhaps not being recognised fully, cautions Debashis Basu.
The US state department, which issued the revised travel advisory, on Wednesday said that the exemptions have been given under the national interest category.
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.
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.
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