US to receive petitions from April 1
As the United States begins its annual acceptance of new H-1B petitions on April 1, another big sponsorship rush is expected from top Indian IT firms with US operations. Up to 85,000 work visas, inclusive of 20,000 reserved for individuals with master’s or higher degrees from US universities, will be granted for the American Fiscal Year 2015, beginning October 1, 2014.
Over the years, Indian techies have been the predominant beneficiaries of the H-1B non-immigrant visa scheme that allows one to work in the United States up to six years. Indians are said to account for more than 50 per cent of H-1B visas every year.
With the US economy steadily recovering since the 2008-09 recession, the rush for H-1B visas has intensified since last year, when all the new H-1B visas were snapped up within five days.
Projecting a similar scenario for this year, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says it “anticipates receiving more than enough petitions to reach both caps by April 7”.
In the event of such a rush, the USCIS will use “a random selection process to meet the numerical limit” as was done last year and during the heavy-demand years prior to the recession. Although Indian IT companies are deeply exercised over certain discriminatory provisions in the immigration reform legislation passed by the US Senate last year, they would be relieved for now since the Republican-dominated House of Representatives has refused to take up this bill, albeit for different reasons.
But the Indian companies have already been paying a steep additional $2,000 per H-1B petition under a law passed by US Congress in August 2010.
While Indian firms such as Infosys, TCS and Wipro and Cognizant have been among the top 10 recipients of H-1B visas in recent years, American tech giants have also been using the H-1B programme in a big way to tap foreign talent for specialty jobs in fields such as science, engineering and computer programming.
The delay in House passage of the measure has stalled for now the move to raise the H-1B cap to 180,000 visas a year.
The H-1B scheme is a money-spinner for USCIS. In addition to the increased fees under several heads, the USCIS charges $1,225 per application for those opting for premium processing of their petitions.
“To facilitate the prioritized intake of cap-subject petitions requesting premium processing, USCIS will begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases no later than April 28, 2014,” the USCIS announced.