US H-1B visa bill concerns Nasscom |
Nasscom said it has flagged its concerns around visa-related issues in the U.S. with the Senators, Congressmen and the administration. The proposed U.S. bill — Protect and Grow American Jobs — is riddled with “onerous conditions” and places “unprecedented obligations” on both Indian IT companies and clients using H-1B visas. The bill proposes new restrictions to prevent abuse and misuse of H-1B visas. It tightens the definition of visa-dependent companies, and imposes fresh restrictions in terms of minimum salary and movement of talent. Apart from prescribing higher minimum wages, the bill places the onus on clients that they will certify that the visa holder is not displacing an existing employee for a tenure of 5-6 years. R. Chandrashekhar, President, National Association for Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) said that formulation has conditions which are extremely onerous and makes it very difficult for people to not just get the visa but also on how they can be used. The bill has been passed by the House Judiciary Committee and is now headed for the U.S. Senate. Chandrashekhar said another “extreme concern” is that “in the name of protecting American jobs, this has been applied only to the so called visa-dependent companies that translates to Indian companies.
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