H-1B Visa Issues

Amidst massive layoffs in the American tech sector that have resulted in a large number of Indian professionals being jobless, two Indian-American organisations have launched an online petition urging President Joe Biden to extend the grace period of H-1B visas holders from two months to a year. This means that once fired from a job, a foreign tech worker on H-1B visas would have one year to find a new job instead of the existing duration of 60 days, after which they have to leave the country. 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. On behalf of immigrants (from the world, mainly from India and China) as well as naturalised citizens like Indian-Americans, Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies and Global Technology Professionals ...

The low annual limit for US H-1B work visa petitions is currently the main problem facing employers trying to secure foreign-born talent, according to a new research

Donald Trump's order to enforce ban on US companies' favourite visa, H-1b, has been blocked by a US federal judge

We lost because it's legal, says Sara Blackwell, the US attorney who had filed a lawsuit on behalf of the 250 Disney IT workers in 2014 over alleged H-1B visa abuse by the entertainment giant

The extension of the decision-making process by four months comes as a temporary relief to the spouses of H-1B visas holders

The H-1B programme offers temporary US visas that allow companies to hire highly skilled foreign professionals

According to Nasscom, the use of visas by Indian IT firms has fallen by 50% in the last two years

The Bill will tighten the definition of visa-dependent companies and imposes fresh restrictions in terms of minimum salary and movement of talent

It would be a while before the legislation reaches the White House for a final presidential nod

It is only the entry-level job seeker whose H-1B visa application may undergo more scrutiny