H-1b Visas

Initial registration period for in-demand H-1B visas to close on March 22

The initial registration period for the H-1B visas, the most sought-after by Indian IT professionals, for fiscal 2025 closes on March 22, a federal agency has said. 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. The initial registration period for the most sought-after H-1B visas for foreign guest workers for fiscal 2025 closes at 12 noon Eastern Time (9:30 pm IST) on March 22, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Monday. During this period, prospective petitioners and legal representatives must use an online account of US Citizenship and Immigration Services to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary. Online account users will also be ab

USCIS launches new system related to H1-B registrations, petitions

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a statement on Wednesday announced the launch of myUSCIS organisational accounts

'US working to further reduce visitor visa wait time for Indians'

The United States is working towards further reducing the wait time for visitor visas for Indians following a decrease of 75 per cent last year, according to US Bureau of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Rena Bitter. In an interview with PTI, Bitter noted that today more Indians can travel to the United States than in any other time in history. "Last year, the Embassy in India processed 1.4 million visas, explosion of an incredible number...in every category there is no wait time at all except in one area of travel where there is still some wait time and that is people travelling for the first time to the United States for tourism," she said. "It has been reduced 75 per cent over the last year and we are working really hard on this. We recognise that it is an incredibly important bilateral relationship and the foundation of the relationship is the people-to-people ties, the business travel and the family ties. All these things are important to us and in Washington we are doing a

USCIS unveils H-1B programme reforms for FY 2025, streamlines processes

The initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap will open on March 6, 2024, and run through March 22, 2024

US hits H-1B visa cap for FY24: All you need to know

This limit, known as the H-1B cap, is currently set at 85,000, with an additional 20,000 visas reserved for individuals who have earned a Master's degree or higher from a US institution

Ramaswamy wants to end H-1B visa programme, calls it 'indentured servitude'

Calling the H-1B visa programme "indentured servitude", Indian-American Republican presidential aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy has vowed to gut the lottery-based system and replace it with meritocratic admission if he wins the race to the White House in 2024. The H-1B visa, the much-sought-after among Indian IT professionals, 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. Ramaswamy himself has used the visa programme 29 times. From 2018 through 2023, US Citizenship and Immigration Services approved 29 applications for Ramaswamy's former company, Roivant Sciences, to hire employees under H-1B visas. Yet, the H-1B system is bad for everyone involved, Ramaswamy was quoted as saying by Politico. The lottery system needs to be replaced by actual meritocratic admission. It

US to introduce in-country hassle-free renewable for H-1B visa: Official

The US is set to introduce in-country renewable H-1B visas, a significant decision that would help thousands of Indian professionals in staying in the country to continue with their jobs without the hassle of travelling overseas for the renewal of their work visas. This is part of the people-to-people initiative, a senior administration official said ahead of the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden at the White House here on Thursday. The much-sought-after 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. The United States last year issued 125,000 visas to Indian students, which is a record and they are on pace to become the largest foreign student community in the United States with a 20 per cent increase last ye

H1B lottery scam: What is visa fraud and how to avoid being a victim of it

The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise

Faster Green Card for Indians? All you need to know about the new EAGLE Act

The primary aim of the EAGLE Act is to shift the basis of giving the Green Card from the place of birth to skills

US intends to issue 100,000 visas every month to Indian applicants

According to a senior official of the US embassy, India is America's top priority for issuance of visas

United States recieves 65,000 petitions for H-1B visa cap for 2022: USCIS

The US has received enough petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for the fiscal year 2022, a federal agency has announced.

Technology company Cloudgen admits to H-1B visa fraud involving Indians

The technology company has admitted to committing fraud to bring Indians on the coveted H1-B visas to the US, according to a federal prosecutor

Trump's H-1B ban expires: What this means for Indian IT professionals

The US issues up to 85,000 H-1B visas each year. Most of the nearly 600,000 H-1B visa holders are from India and China

Lawsuit filed against delay in processing of EADs for spouses of H-1B visas

A top US association of immigration lawyers has filed a case against Homeland Security for extraordinary delays in processing EADs of spouses of foreign workers in the country on H-1B and L1 visas

Biden admin to reconsider objections to H1B visas during Trump regime

The move is expected to come to the rescue of a large number of Indian IT professionals who were having a tough time during the previous Trump administration rule

Indian IT firms to take a hit as Trump extends H-1B visa, green card freeze

The freeze on various categories of work visas was ordered by Trump through two proclamations on April 22 and June 22 last year.

Indian tech firms to benefit as US court junks controversial Trump rules

In October, the Trump govt brought two policies that tightened eligibility for foreign workers applying for non-immigrant visas and raised minimum pay for foreign employees on high-skill work visas

Democrats flay Trump for imposing new curbs on H-1B visas without scrutiny

Democrats have criticised Trump for announcing "sweeping changes" to H-1B visa programme without public scrutiny, saying it is clearly an attempt to score last-minute political points ahead of polls

Trump imposes new curbs on H-1B visas to protect US workers ahead of polls

The White House defended the move and said that the President is improving America's work visa programmes to prioritise the highest-skilled workers and protect American jobs

'Trump exceeded constitutional authority': Three key updates on H-1B visa

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