US authorities said that there was a sharp 10% decline in the approval of H-1B visas by
the U.S. in 2018, which
is popular among highly skilled Indian IT
professionals. The experts attributed to the aggressive
policies of the Trump administration to clamp down on the use of the work visa
programme.
What
is H-1b Visa?
The H-1B visa programme is the main vehicle
through which US
employers can sponsor skilled foreign workers for
admission. It is a non-immigrant
visa that allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers
in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
10%
decline in approval rate:
In 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) approved 3,35,000
H-1B visas, both new and renewable. This was 10% less than the 3,73,400 visas approved
in the previous fiscal year of 2017, according to the USCIS’ annual statistical
report. The approval rate of H-1B declined from 93% in 2017 to 85% in
2018.
For the first six months of the fiscal year
2019, the overall approval rate of the H-1B visa for new and continuing
visas continued to stay to 79%
by the end of March, down from 85% last year.
Buy
American and Hire American:
“Buy
American and Hire American” executive order which was signed by Trump in April 2017,
seeks to create higher wages and employment rates for U.S. workers. It also
seeks to protect their economic interests by rigorously enforcing and
administering our immigration laws. It also directed to advance policies to
help ensure H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid
beneficiaries.
