The new immigration plan of US is hard with the assessment of the H-1B visa programme.
This decision is seen as a major hit for Indians living abroad.
What is H-1B visa?
The US immigration law allows employers to temporarily employ qualified individuals from abroad in specialty occupations.
Such foreign nationals who are specialized and experts in certain fields are issued H-1B visas.
The validity of H-1B is three years, this time period would be sufficient for the employer to find and American resident as an alternative.
This is ensure that the American commerce remains stable without affecting its huge customers, employees and shareholders base.
With the expansion of the global economy and outsourcing, and increase in students pursuing US higher education during the last two decades, the H-1B has been the preferred route to green cards.
What are the new provisions?
New law seeks to bring back the requirement for companies to hire American workers first as there is no huge requirement for employing foreign nationals.
Strong policy changes regarding the renewal of H-1B visas have been effected immediately.
These changes were prompted due to the fact that H-1B holders rarely returned to their country after the expiration of their validity.
They (or rather, their employers) routinely applied for extensions of their H-1Bs although business conditions under which the H-1Bs were originally granted may have changed.
The new law determines to change these as they are contrary to the law and also an impractical process.
How these changes are likely to affect Indians?
More than a half million Indians are estimated to be on their first H-1Bs and each one of them would be impacted if renewals are not granted.
Renewals will now be deemed as almost new H1-B request and strong paperwork from the company to substantiate why a renewal continues to be necessary.
The real losers may be small-time H-1B employees, including under-performing Indians who came to the US to study and settle down.
