WASHINGTON:
With massive layoffs in the US tech sector rendering many Indian professionals jobless, two Indian-American organizations have launched an online petition urging President Joe Biden to extend the grace period of H-.
There has been a request to extend the 1B visa from two months to one year.
This means that once fired, a foreign technical worker on an H-1B visa will have one year to find a new job instead of 60 days, after which they will have to leave the country…
The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
What is H-1B Visa?
The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
Tech companies depend on it to hire thousands of employees every year from countries like India and China.
Shortage of foreign skilled labor
A report titled ‘H-1B applications and denial rates in FY 2022’ by the research organization National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) states that the lower annual cap for H-1B applications may not result in higher H-1B registrations.
have been able The report states that due to this rejection rate, the US is facing a shortage of skilled foreign workers.
Limit of issuing 85 thousand visas every year
As per the current provision, 85 thousand is the annual limit for issuing H-1B visas.
In this, 20 thousand are required to be degree holders from American institutions, and the remaining 65 thousand are allotted through a lottery system.
In April 2022, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported that employers submitted more than 483,000 H-1B registrations, nearly four lahks more than the annual limit of 85,000 for H-1B applications.
