H-1B
VISA – INTERNATIONAL
News: H-1B visa indentured servitude, want
to end it: Ramaswamy
What's
in the news?
●
Calling the H-1B visa programme
“indentured servitude”, Indian-American Republican presidential aspirant Vivek
Ramaswamy has vowed to “gut” the lottery-based system and replace it with
meritocratic admission if he wins the race to the White House in 2024.
Key
takeaways:
●
The H-1B visa, the much-sought-after among
Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to
employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or
technical expertise.
H-1B
Visa Backdrop:
●
H-1B visas are highly sought-after non-immigrant visas that allow US companies to
employ foreign workers in specialized occupations requiring theoretical or
technical expertise.
●
These visas play a crucial role in
facilitating the recruitment of talent, particularly in the technology sector,
with many employees coming from countries like India.
H-1B
Visa:
●
It allows US companies to employ foreign
workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical
expertise.
●
Technology companies depend on it to hire
tens of thousands of employees each year from countries such as India and
China.
●
The
H1-B visa has an annual numerical limit cap of 65,000 each fiscal year, as mandated
by the Congress.
‘In-Country’
Renewal:
●
To address the difficulties faced by
Indian professionals, the US visa office has introduced ‘in-country’ renewable
H-1B visas.
●
This initiative eliminates the need for
individuals to travel overseas for visa renewal.
Significance:
●
The ‘in-country’ renewal program is a
people-to-people initiative aimed at fostering smoother visa renewal
procedures.
●
US has also unveiled plans for a pilot
program to adjudicate domestic renewals of certain work visas, including those
for Indian nationals.
●
The intent is to eventually expand this
program to cover a broader pool of H-1 and L visa holders, enhancing
convenience and collaboration for foreign workers.