US Overhauls H-1B Visa Programme For Greater Flexibility, Quick Processing| Photo: Representative Image US Overhauls H-1B Visa Programme For Greater Flexibility, Quick Processing| Photo: Representative Image Ahead of Donald Trump's takeover as US President, the Department of Homeland Security has announced an overhaul of the H-1B visa programme, allowing companies to fill out urgent vacancies more effectively.
This updated rule will come into effect from January 17, 2025, onwards and aims to streamline the approval process and give greater flexibility for employers to retain top talent.
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As per Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N Mayorkas, the improvements in the H-1B visa programme will "provide employers with greater flexibility to hire global talent, boost our economic competitiveness, and allow highly skilled workers to continue to advance American innovation."
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What Are The Changes?Some of the key changes are allowing flexibility for F-1 visa students to transition into a H-1B visa.
house of fun free spins 2021The new rules will also allow quicker processing for those individuals who have been previously approved for an H-1B visa.
As per USCIS, the new rule also modernises the definition of speciality occupations and clarifies eligibility criteria for non-profit and governmental research organisations exempt from the annual visa cap.
"The changes made in today’s final rule will ensure that US employers can hire the highly skilled workers they need to grow and innovate while enhancing the integrity of the programme," said USCIS director Ur M Jaddou.
The annual cap for H-1B visas has been set at 85,000. of which, 65,000 are for regular cap and the rest of 20,000 are for the US advanced degree or master's degree. For this financial year, USCIS has reached the annual quota.
How Will The Change Impact Indians?A majority of the applicants for H-1B visa are Indians. Based on 2023 data, Indians made up around 72.3 percent of the 386,000 H-1B visas issues.
With the streamlining of the process and adding flexibility for those on student visasswerte gaming, the overhaul is expected to benefit Indians, making it easier for them to acquire this US visa.
