US President Donald Trump is considering suspending a number of employment visas including the H-1B, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, in view of the massive unemployment in America due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a media report. The proposed suspension could extend into the government's new fiscal year beginning October 1, when many new visas are issued, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, quoting unnamed administration officials.
rediffGURU Geeta Ratra offers expert advice on international courses, student visas, immigration processes and more.
In a statement issued on Thursday night, Canada has said the language used while denying the visa "doesn't reflect the policy of the Canada government."
While the denial rate has dropped slightly to 21 per cent in 2019 from 24 per cent in 2018, the National Foundation for American Policy has said it is much higher for Indian IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Wipro and very low for American companies like Amazon and Google. For instance, the denial rate for TCS and Infosys in 2019 was 31 per cent and 35 per cent respectively, whereas for Wipro it was 47 per cent and 37 per cent for Tech Mahindra. On the other hand, the denial rate for the new H-1B petitions in 2019 was just four per cent each for Amazon and Google. The denial rate for Microsoft during the same period was six per cent, and Facebook along with Walmart was just three per cent each.
The US dependent visa puts many restrictions on the spouses, mostly women, of the skilled workers who have an H1-B visa. Some even felt like they were thrown back into a model of the 'traditional family' where women are not valued at all outside of the home.
rediffGURU Geeta Ratra offers expert advice on international courses, student visas and immigration processes.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was taking action against an unspecified number of Chinese officials, including from the ruling Communist Party, under a US law that calls on China to let Americans visit Tibet.
The EAM when asked about his view of the world at present, said it would be "very grim forecast, for the next five years".
Two snowshoers from Kashmir have alleged they have been denied visa to the United States of America due to "current (US) policy" even as the American Embassy in New Delhi maintained that Indians are not affected by the recent executive order of President Donald Trump.
Several individuals and organisations, including the US Chambers of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration's recent rules related to the H-1B visa, terming them "arbitrary" and "haphazard" regulations that will undermine high skilled immigration into America. Early this month, the Trump administration announced new restrictions on H-1B non-immigrant visa programme which it said is aimed at protecting American workers, restoring integrity and to better guarantee that H-1B petitions are approved only for qualified beneficiaries and petitioners, a move which is likely to affect thousands of Indian IT professionals.
Neither Barack Obama or John F Kerry were involved in the decision for Ambassador Nancy Powell to meet Narendra Modi. Rediff.com's Aziz Haniffa reports from Washington, DC.
Novak Djokovic has formally withdrawn from the draw for the Indian Wells tournament, organisers said on Sunday in an indication that the world number one's application for a COVID-19 vaccine waiver to enter the US might have failed.
The proposed annual quota for Indian companies could be between 10 and 15 per cent. Currently, there are no country-specific limits on H-1B allotment.
Islamabad refused to take back its citizen deportees and visa over-stayers from America
Rescinding its more than 13-year-old policy, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has said that the burden of proof in establishing eligibility is, at all times, on the petitioner.
Any changes in the visa regime may result in higher operational costs and shortage of skilled workers for the $110 billion Indian outsourcing industry.
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 readout of the meeting reportedly said Lord Johnson "made clear that he was keen to see a bigger Infosys presence in the UK and would be happy to do what he could to facilitate that".
International companies usually store data on global servers and the requirement to store data locally would require them to make an additional investment. But policymakers in India believe storing data locally would help monitor and conduct investigations if the need arises.
The new programme could bring in longer lead times and paperwork
If your flight is cancelled or delayed or you miss one, a travel insurance policy can cover the costs at such times and help you book a new one.
Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had criticised Manmohan Singh's policy towards China and promised a more strong-willed policy. Those claims are now under a cloud.
Amid headwinds across global markets, US issues fresh restrictions on H-1B visas. Ayan Pramanik & Raghu Krishnan list out the many ways in which this impacts the Indian IT industry.
The PTF chief said there was a deadline for the AITA to send final arrival confirmation and if they didn't travel to Pakistan the International Tennis Federation (ITF) would consider the Davis Cup tie as forfeited, awarding full points to the hosts.
There has been a dramatic increase in denial of visas to Indians by the United States.
Applicants for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA) can submit any of nine documents, including valid or expired passport, ID cards and land tenancy records, to prove he or she is a national of Afghanistan or Bangladesh or Pakistan.
China has justified as "goodwill" gesture its policy of issuing stapled visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh, saying such a policy does not "undermine" the positions of both India and China which have disputes over big parts of that area.
United States Consul General Peter Haas on Tuesday skirted question on granting of visa to Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi, saying that they "do not comment on personal visa matters".
Nearly, 40 per cent of Fortune 500 companies have been founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants.
H1-B holders in the US can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship: Trump.
'I found it unbelievable that L&T said 45,000 jobs were waiting to be filled because of unavailability of suitable skillsets.' 'So, when the Opposition sweepingly says there are no jobs, I'm sorry... I'm not saying it's raining jobs, but there are jobs. The (skill) gap has to be bridged.'
An article said Modi's decision to provide e-visas for Chinese nationals is inadequate and it should be extended to business and work visas.
Emphasising that India has the potential to become a global hub for education and tourism, Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba called for a change in the mindset at the field level to make foreigners feel welcome.
Congress General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed on Sunday sought to ridicule Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh over the issue of a United States visa for Narendra Modi
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.
India has strongly rejected as "baseless" allegations of its interference in Canadian elections and asserted that the core issue has been Ottawa's meddling in New Delhi's internal affairs.
Amidst raging controversy in India over visa for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the US on refused to commit itself whether he would be granted permission to travel to America.
This provides for H-1B extensions beyond the 6-year limit.
This data was obtained from the US Department of State in a new report by the National Foundation for American Policy, an Arlington, Virginia-based policy research group, which focuses on US immigration policy.
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