US bill on visa curbs |
The US is set to pass a bill on immigration with major implications for the $146-billion Indian IT sector and its employees. The bill seeks to prohibit companies from hiring H-1B employees if they employ more than 50 people in the US and more than 50% of those employees are H-1B and L-1 visa holders.The bill, if passed, will place severe restrictions on Indian IT companies that are the largest users of H-1B visas. Though companies do not disclose thedata, it is believed that the large Indian IT companies have more than 50% of their employees on H-1Bs and L-1s. Only recently, Senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin introduced a bipartisan legislation that would reform the H-1B visa programme, consistent withthe US Congress`s intent to ensure that qualified American workers are given the first opportunity at high-skilled job opportunities. The duo has argued that the H-1B visa was meant to fillgaps in specialized areas that cannot be filled by Americans.
|
|
|
|