Indian employers account for just 11.9 per cent of the total H-1B visas issued in 2008 and their share has been declining over the years, a US think-tank has said days after new curbs were announced on such visas.
H-1B visa reform bill introduced in US Senate
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services on Tuesday said that the lottery was done on April 7.
According to the latest figures released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, just 29,700 people had applied for H-1B visas till August 13.
All were released on $250,000 bond, the Department of Justice said.
The US Senate has agreed on the broad contours of a comprehensive immigration reform legislation that not only deals with an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the US but also seeks to increase the H1B visa allocation.
Indo-US firm has been indicted by federal authorities on charges of fraud in the H-1B visa category.
Among Sensex firms, Tata Motors, Bharat Electronics, UltraTech Cement, Tech Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Tata Consultancy Services and Axis Bank were the major laggards. However, Power Grid, Hindustan Unilever, NTPC and HCL Tech were among the gainers.
Despite an over 50 per cent drop in the number of H1-B visas issued to some Indian IT firms in 2007 against 2006, US Democrat senators Richard J Durbin and Charles E Grassley have written to nine Indian companies that figure among the top 25 recipients of approved H-1B visa petitions in 2007 seeking detailed information on how they use the visa programme.
The Biden administration has announced that it is delaying the H-1B policy of the previous Trump administration on allocation of the popular foreign work visas by continuing with the lottery system until December 31, 2021, to give the immigration agency more time to develop, test and implement the modifications to the registration system. On January 7, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced to do away with the traditional lottery system in deciding the successful applicants for the H-1B visas. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first-ever in-person meeting with President Joe Biden raised a number of issues involving the Indian community in America, including access for Indian professionals in the US and speaking about the H-1B visas, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said.
In the first-ever indication of its stand on H-1B visas popular among Indian professionals, the Obama Administration has informed a court that the US needs this scheme to avoid "competitive disadvantage" the American companies could face otherwise.
'If you are so blinded by the Buy American, Hire American policy, if you are not going to be fair, consistent and welcoming, in the end America will lose out.'
The top uncapped employers are the nation's largest research institutions and universities from across the country, including the University of Michigan, the University of Texas at Austin, the National Institutes of Health, and the Johns Hopkins University.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it has received approximately 49,000 H-1B petitions till August seven counting toward the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 cap, more than four months after it started accepting applications for visas for the 2010 fiscal beginning this October.
Industry leaders say President-elect Obama will be good for enhanced US-India commercial ties.
Amid growing concerns of surging COVID-19 cases, the US has announced that it will waive the in-person interview requirement for a range of visa applicants during the entire year in 2022, including for H-1B workers and students, many of whom are from India. 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.
A new law and a new study refuel the H-1B debate.
As per the new rule, foreigners who file to renew their EAD on or after October 30, 2025, will no longer receive an automatic extension, the DHS said in a news release.
Immigration law attorney David Ware answered questions about the complicated and controversial H-1B visa process
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha that this is an issue of concern not just for the government and the Opposition, but the entire House and the nation shares this concern
A federal lawsuit in Iowa alleges that two men orchestrated a scheme to underpay workers who came into the country on H-1B visas
This provides for H-1B extensions beyond the 6-year limit.
Google urged the US government on Thursday to raise the number of H-1B visas by highlighting the contributions of its co-founder Sergey Brin and the company's principal scientist Krishna Bharat, both foreign-origin workers.
India is taking up with the United States the issue of reduction of H1B visas for specialised workers, as it would affect movement of Indian software professionals to that country, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
Trading sentiment in the equity market will be guided by macroeconomic data announcements, global trends and quarterly earnings from IT major TCS this week, analysts said. Stock markets would also be tracking trading activity of foreign investors who remained net sellers of Indian equities in September.
Information technology professionals, one of main reasons for introduction of the H-1B visa by the US, are gradually losing out their share of the temporary visa programme to teachers and doctors, a study reveals.
High-tech industry bodies have welcomed the move to drop a hefty $3500 fee increase in the H1B visa programme, which would also benefit Indian professionals seeking jobs in the US. Hailing the move, they said the US must retain top talent from around the world to retain America's economic leadership.
India has implemented a number of free trade agreements with developed nations and is in active dialogue for such pacts with nations including the US, Oman, and the EU, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said. India has implemented trade pacts with Australia, the UAE and EFTA bloc. It has also signed an agreement with the UK.
The conspiracy with which Patel and Mohta are charged carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Senate immigration plan would dramatically increase the number of high-skilled foreign workers allowed into the country and give permanent legal status to an unlimited number of students who earn graduate degrees from US universities in science, technology, engineering or math, Washington Post reported quoting people familiar with the negotiations.
A top US Democratic lawmaker, known for his pro-immigration credentials, has cast serious doubts on the ability of the Congress to finalise a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform law.
The Coalition's mandate is to spread the word that American competitiveness requires global integration, including value-added IT enabled support from overseas.
Extensions of H-1B visas have become even tougher, in particular if the employee has been on a bench for any part of their previous duration.
The four defendants allegedly used three California corporations to orchestrate the improper submission of more than one hundred H-1B visa applications.
The bill moved after months of closed-door meetings by a group of eight bipartisan lawmakers, known as the Gang of Eight, aimed at striking a balance between enforcement provisions sought by Republicans as well as Democrats, including making citizenship widely accessible to those illegally in America.
Officials said the Citizenship and Immigration Services would not issue daily update on number of applications received, but will make an announcement when the cap is reached.
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