MAY 9, 2018
A USCIS report started that the number of H-1B visa recipients from India comprises 75.6% in 2017, against the 74.2% in 2016.
The H-1B visas are issued for a period of three years after which the workers tend to re-apply
Thanks to Donald Trump effect, or the fear psychosis propagated by the Donald Trump administration, the number of Indians who managed to procure the new H-1B visas has fallen in 2017 vis-a-vis the number a year ago. This took place while the total number of Indians who bagged the much sought-after visa has seen an ascent, marginally though, in 2017.
To put it more precisely, the H-1B visas approved for the new employment declined by 4.1% while the total number of approved H-1B visas for Indian applicants rose by 12.5% in fiscal 2017, stated a report titled ‘Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers’.
It is noteworthy to mention here that the total number of H-1B visa recipients (out of the applicants from around the world) from India rose (from 74.2% to 75.6%) in terms of the percentage of total number of visas issued by the US government.
This effectively means that out of every four H-1B visas issued by the US government, three were issued to the Indian technical workers that include engineers, scientists and doctors, amng others. The figures have been revealed in a report released by a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) report.
For the uninitiated, the H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that enables US companies to hire foreign workers in the occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. H-1B specialty occupations may include fields such as science, engineering and information technology, mentions the USCIS website. The IT companies rely on this visa to bring hundreds of thousands of technical workers every year on board.
The H-1B visas are issued for a period of three years after which the workers tend to re-apply for the extension of visas. The total period for which they can be extended is six years. So, as per the latest USCIS report, the number of H-1B visas issued to the Indian workers who are already staying in the US on the H-1B has risen (the extension case), while the number of successful cases of H-1B visas issued to the first-time applicants has declined in 2017, the report stated.
The report also highlights that 44.5 per cent of approved petitions were for workers with a master’s degree, 6.8 per cent had a doctorate, and 3.3 per cent were for workers with a professional degree. The number of H-1B petitions approved in 2017 for workers in computer-related occupations was 69.8 per cent, the report stated.
Courtesy/Source: NDTV / PTI
