PM Modi US Visit: During the meeting of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (PM Modi) and President Joe Biden, who went on the first state visit to America, there will be many agreements in both the countries. This time both these leaders will also talk about the American H-1B program. H-1B visa has always been a topic of discussion, under which it becomes easy for Indians to go to America and stay there. However, at present Indians have to wait for months for US visas, and hence many Indians are eyeing the change in H-1B visa rules in the Modi-Biden meeting.
Some US officials say that there will be some change in H-1B visa rules during PM Modi’s visit. America will relax its visa rules for Indians. According to the news agency Reuters, 3 people familiar with the matter have told that to help skilled workers to enter or stay in America, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi As a result of this state visit, the Biden administration will make it easier for Indians to live and work in America.
There will be provisions for Indians on H-1B visa
Citing sources, Reuters claimed that the State Department may announce on Thursday that some Indian and other foreign workers on H-1B visas will be able to renew those visas under a pilot program in the US without traveling abroad. Which will be used for years to come. According to records, Indian nationals are by far the most active users of the US H-1B program and 73% of the approximately 442,000 H-1B wage-holder workers in fiscal year 2022 were Indian nationals.
Pilot program can be launched soon
A US official said, “We all recognize that the mobility of our people is very important to us. And so our goal is to approach in a kind of multi-faceted way. Trying to find creative ways.” A State Department spokesman declined to comment on questions about what types of visas would be eligible or the timing of the pilot launch. A small number of services will be offered before the intention is to scale up the initiative over the next one to two years, the spokesperson said. The plan for the US pilot program was first reported by Bloomberg Law in February.
Visa lasts for three years in America
Let us tell you that every year, the US government provides 65,000 H-1B visas to companies looking for skilled foreign workers, as well as an additional 20,000 visas are provided for workers with the highest degree. That visa lasts for three years and it can be renewed for the next three years. According to US government data, companies using the most H-1B workers in recent years include India-based Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, as well as Amazon, Alphabet and Meta in the US.
A US State Department spokesperson said the ability for some temporary foreign workers to renew visas in the US would free up resources for visa interviews at consulates abroad. At the same time, another official said that some employees with L-1 visa will also be included in the pilot program.
More than 10 million jobs in America
India has long been concerned that its citizens face difficulty in obtaining visas to live in the US, including technology industry workers. According to the Department of Labor in last April, more than 10 million jobs were created in America.
