WASHINGTON,D.C.- Indian techies in the US can heave a sigh of relief after the Trump administration said it was not considering any regulatory change that will force H1-B visa holders to leave the country. The announcement by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) came on Jan 9 after report by US-based news agency McClatchy DC Bureau that Washington was considering new regulations to prevent the extension...
of H-1B visas, largely availed of by Indian IT firms. “The USCIS is not considering a regulatory change that would force H-1B visa holders to leave the US by changing our interpretation of section 104(c) of AC-21, which provides for H-1B extensions beyond the 6 year limit,” said the chief of media relations for USCIS. “Even if it were, such a change would not likely result in these H-1B visa holders having to leave the US because employers could request extensions in one-year increments under section 106(a)-(b) of AC21 instead,” Withington was quoted as saying by Kansas City Star.
“The agency is considering a number of policy and regulatory changes to carry out the President’s Buy American, Hire American Executive Order, including a thorough review of employment based visa programs,” he said.
Earlier reports said the Trump administration was considering tightening H-1B visa rules that could lead to deportation of 750,000 Indians. Withington said that USCIS was never considering such a policy change and that “any suggestion that USCIS changed its position because of pressure is absolutely false”. Representatives Kevin Yoder, a Kansas Republican, and Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii, sent a letter to Trump, obtained by McClatchy, urging him “not to deport H-1B holders awaiting permanent residency processing.” “We strongly believe this action would be harmful to the American economy, credibility and relations with India and the Indian-American community,” wrote Yoder and Gabbard. Both are members of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. The US Chamber of Commerce had warned it would be “tremendously bad policy” to tell highly skilled people they were not welcome to stay in the US. “H-1B visa holders, many of whom become small business owners and job creators, drive innovation and help build and strengthen our economy,” said Gabbard. “The Trump Administration’s decision to back off this counterproductive proposal is a positive step forward,” she said. “While it remains a priority to invest in training and create a pipeline of skilled American workers, we must continue to leverage the talent and expertise of the hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa holders to fill the gaps in our domestic workforce,”Gabbard said. Every year, the US grants 85,000 H-1B visas to highly skilled applicants, including roughly 70 per cent for Indians, seeking employment and educational opportunities. According to the National Foundation for American Policy, more than half of privately-held companies worth $1 billion or more in the US had at least one immigrant founder, with many entering into America on an H-1B visa, including the CEOs of both Microsoft and Google.
“The agency is considering a number of policy and regulatory changes to carry out the President’s Buy American, Hire American Executive Order, including a thorough review of employment based visa programs,” he said.
Earlier reports said the Trump administration was considering tightening H-1B visa rules that could lead to deportation of 750,000 Indians. Withington said that USCIS was never considering such a policy change and that “any suggestion that USCIS changed its position because of pressure is absolutely false”. Representatives Kevin Yoder, a Kansas Republican, and Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii, sent a letter to Trump, obtained by McClatchy, urging him “not to deport H-1B holders awaiting permanent residency processing.” “We strongly believe this action would be harmful to the American economy, credibility and relations with India and the Indian-American community,” wrote Yoder and Gabbard. Both are members of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. The US Chamber of Commerce had warned it would be “tremendously bad policy” to tell highly skilled people they were not welcome to stay in the US. “H-1B visa holders, many of whom become small business owners and job creators, drive innovation and help build and strengthen our economy,” said Gabbard. “The Trump Administration’s decision to back off this counterproductive proposal is a positive step forward,” she said. “While it remains a priority to invest in training and create a pipeline of skilled American workers, we must continue to leverage the talent and expertise of the hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa holders to fill the gaps in our domestic workforce,”Gabbard said. Every year, the US grants 85,000 H-1B visas to highly skilled applicants, including roughly 70 per cent for Indians, seeking employment and educational opportunities. According to the National Foundation for American Policy, more than half of privately-held companies worth $1 billion or more in the US had at least one immigrant founder, with many entering into America on an H-1B visa, including the CEOs of both Microsoft and Google.
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