Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
International

No Restrictions On H-1B Visa: US official

IANS, 14 Sep, 2017 12:32 PM
  • No Restrictions On H-1B Visa: US official
A senior US official on Thursday sought to allay India’s concerns on the H-1B visa programme, which is being “reviewed” by the Trump administration, saying there are no “restrictions” in place.
 
The official said around 70 per cent of the visas issued under the H-1B category over the past nine months have gone to Indians and that a record 1.2 million visas of Indians were adjudicated by the US last year.
 
The year-over-year increase in terms of issuance of H-1B visas and L1 visas (work permit) to Indians is six per cent each, the official said.
 
“The President (Donald Trump) spoke about review. There are no restrictions but it (H-1B) is under review,” he said, adding the issue was not on the agenda for the upcoming Indo- US bilateral dialogue on consular relations, but it may come up in the course of the talks.
 
The issue of the repealing of the Deferred Action for Children Arrival (DACA) programme, which has hit more than 7,000 Indian-Americans, may also figure in the talks scheduled to be held on September 27 in Washington.
 
Trump had signed an executive order in April for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop “visa abuses”.
 
The DACA amnesty programme granted work permits to immigrants who arrived in the country illegally as children.
 
The official also said the US processed around 88,000 student visa applications last year, which is an increase of 15 per cent over 2015. Currently, there are around 1.6 lakh Indian students in the US, which is the second highest number of international students, after China.
 
Indian citizens made up six per cent of worldwide immigrant visa applicants, making them the fifth largest group of new immigrants after those from China, Philippines, Dominican Republic and Mexico.
 
The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialised fields. Indian technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year for their US operations. 

MORE International ARTICLES

Indian-Origin Couple Fined For Exploiting Indian Worker

Indian-Origin Couple Fined For Exploiting Indian Worker
An Indian-origin couple, former owners of a Brisbane cafe, have been fined over $180,000 after illegally forcing an Indian employee in Australia to hand back his wages and threatening to have his 457 visa cancelled unless he complied.

Indian-Origin Couple Fined For Exploiting Indian Worker

Journalists In Pakistan Under Fire From Many Sides

Journalists In Pakistan Under Fire From Many Sides
Bakhsheesh Elahi was waiting for the morning bus when a lone gunman on a motorcycle pulled up beside him and shot him dead. 

Journalists In Pakistan Under Fire From Many Sides

Contribution Of SIKHS Across USA Will Always Be Admired: US Vice President Mike Pence

Contribution Of SIKHS Across USA Will Always Be Admired: US Vice President Mike Pence
Sikhs Community and its issues are always close to my heart and I always admire the contribution of Sikhs in Indiana and across the United States

Contribution Of SIKHS Across USA Will Always Be Admired: US Vice President Mike Pence

Sardar Singh Questioned By UK Police, Hockey Federation President Narinder Batra Vents His Ire

Sardar Singh Questioned By UK Police, Hockey Federation President Narinder Batra Vents His Ire
The former India hockey captain was called in for questioning in connection with a year-old sexual assault case as the FIH president slammed the move.

Sardar Singh Questioned By UK Police, Hockey Federation President Narinder Batra Vents His Ire

Finsbury Park Mosque Attack: Hero Imam 'Protected Van Driver' From Angry Public After Crash

Finsbury Park Mosque Attack: Hero Imam 'Protected Van Driver' From Angry Public After Crash
An imam today protected from an angry mob the attacker who ploughed his van into worshippers outside a mosque in London, killing one person and injuring ten others.

Finsbury Park Mosque Attack: Hero Imam 'Protected Van Driver' From Angry Public After Crash

Indian Among 4 Inmates Who Escape From Bali Prison

Indian Among 4 Inmates Who Escape From Bali Prison
Four foreign inmates, including an Indian, escaped early Monday from a prison on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, police said.

Indian Among 4 Inmates Who Escape From Bali Prison