Indians are at the forefront of taking H1-B visas.
Indian professionals have suffered a major setback in America. President Donald Trump has issued an order to impose heavy fees of $ 100,000 (about 88 lakh rupees) on the new H-1B visa. This order has come into effect from Sunday. Now this fee is so high that it has increased more than the salary of many people. Experts say that with this decision many companies will avoid sponsoring new employees and will only be able to give jobs to selected and very skilled employees.
Indians have the biggest stake in H-1B visa holders. India is far ahead of countries like China, Canada and South Korea. In such a situation, the new fee will have a direct impact on Indian IT sector and professionals working there.
H-1B Visa option
Experts say that companies are already using L-1 visa to avoid the uncertainty of H-1B. Companies can move towards more L-1 with a new fee of $ 100,000, but L-1 visa is available only when the employee has worked at least one year in the company’s foreign office. Therefore, this is not the option for new recruitment employees.
What is L-1 visa?
L-1 visa is America’s non-immigrant visa. Under this, multinational companies can temporarily send some employees from their foreign offices to the US. There are also two categories in it. Like the first L-1A is a visa. It is for managers and executives. The second is L-1B visa. This is for employees with special knowledge, such as people who have knowledge of company technology or special processes.
L-1 visa conditions
The conditions for L-1 visa are slightly complex. For example, in the last three years, the employee has worked continuously in the foreign office of the company at least one year. Parent, subsidiary, Afiliate or branch should have a relationship between the American office and the foreign office. It is necessary to do business actively with the American office.
L-1 visa challenges
According to the report, L-1 also comes under the scope of more investigation when H-1B fees increase. Especially cases of “special knowledge” are seen very strictly. If companies use L-1 more to avoid H-1B, then American officials can do more strictness. This means more paperwork. The possibility of rejection will increase.
Also read- Now for H1-B visa, you will have to pay more fees, why did Trump change the rule?
Opportunities for India
Increased fees on H-1B visa can become an opportunity for India. The effect of this decision is immediately visible. Companies like Microsoft and Amazon were advised to immediately return to America. Experts believe that instead of protecting American jobs, this decision can hurt America’s innovation capacity. With this, companies will shift jobs out and countries like India will get unexpected benefits.