Bill to Restrict Use of H-1B Visas Introduced in US Senate

Washington: Two US Senators have introduced a bipartisan legislation in the Senate seeking reform of H-1B visa programme and modification of wage requirements. They also called for a sense of urgency against the "abuse of the system" over a scheme they claimed has got away from its original intent.

The bill has been introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley, Chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee, and Dick Durbin, Assistant Democratic Leader. It is cosponsored by Senators Bill Nelson, Richard Blumenthal, and Sherrod Brown.

The bill would prohibit companies from hiring H-1B employees if they employ more than 50 people and more than 50 per cent of their employees are H-1B and L-1 visa holders.

This provision would crack down on outsourcing companies that import large numbers of H-1B and L-1 workers for short training periods and then send these workers back to their home country to do the work of Americans, the Senators said.

"For years, foreign outsourcing companies have used loopholes in the laws to displace qualified American workers and facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act would end these abuses and protect American and foreign workers from exploitation," Durbin said.

The bill would also give the Department of Labour enhanced authority to review, investigate and audit employer compliance as well as to penalise fraudulent or abusive conduct.

The bill says that working conditions of similarly employed American workers may not be adversely affected by the hiring of the H-1B worker, including who have been placed by another employer at the American worker's worksite.

It explicitly prohibits replacement of American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa holders.

The Grassley-Durbin reform bill will for the first time prioritise the annual allocation of H-1B visas.

In addition, the bill includes establishment of a wage floor for L-1 workers; authority for the Department of Homeland Security to investigate, audit and enforce compliance with L-1 program requirements; and a change to the definition of "specialized knowledge" to ensure that L-1 visas are reserved only for truly key personnel.

133,000 Indian students contribute $3.6 bn to US economy

Washington: With a whopping 29.4 percent increase, a record high of 132,888 Indian students studying in the US in 2014/15 academic year contributed $3.6 billion to the US economy, according to a new report.

India was the second leading place of origin for students coming to the US, making up 13.6 percent of the total international students in the country, according to the 2015 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, released Monday.

The report is published annually by the Institute of International Education in partnership with the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

International students' spending in all 50 states contributed more than $30 billion to the US economy in 2014 with students from India contributing $3.6 billion, the report said citing the US Department of Commerce.

China remains the top sending country, with almost twice the number of students in the US as India, but India's rate of growth and absolute increases outpaced China's 11 percent.

It was also the second year of rising numbers for India, following three years of declines.

India's 29.4 percent growth is the highest rate of growth for Indian students in the history of the Open Doors project, which spans back to 1954/55.

The last time India grew at a comparable rate (29.1) was in 2000/01 when the number of students from India exceeded 50,000 for the first time.

FEWER L1 VISAS BEING APPROVED

This is especially true for L1 visas for intra-company transfers.

In 2011, approvals for L1 visas were 28% lower, show data from independent public policy think tank National Foundation for American Policy. On the other hand, such visa approvals rose by 15% for applicants from the rest of the world, leading to concerns that India is being singled out for discrimination.

More than 25,000 Indians travel to the US every year to work on assignments for software companies. Up to 40% of work permits are usually under the L1 category.

Most people in the software industry believe there is a deliberate policy of discrimination against Indians, but they are wary of voicing their opinions publicly for fear of antagonising the American government, especially when a presidential campaign is on and unemployment is a major theme. Infosys, HCL, TCS and Wipro declined to comment for this report.

Software industry grouping Nasscom said it is "working with" the Indian government and US authorities on the issue of rising visa rejection rates. "While some part of the work gets contracted, some IT firms are now focusing on hiring locals for domain-specific work in the US," said Ameet Nivsarkar, Nasscom's vice-president.

In mid-2010, when the US increased the fee for some types of work visas used by Indian outsourcers, Nasscom had estimated the additional cost burden on Indian IT industry at up to $250 million.

But not everyone is complaining about the turn of events. At staffing firm TeamLease, where over 70,000 employees work on contracted projects for various companies, revenue soared 30% last year due to the increase in subcontracting. Similarly, at Ikya Human Capital Solutions, another global staffing firm, demand from Indian IT firms for subcontracting work in the US rose 8-10% in the past six months.

"Any change in the economic conditions first reflects in the staffing industry. We are a springboard in good times and a shock-board in bad times," said Ashok Reddy, managing director and co-founder of TeamLease.

Source: Economic Times

H-1B Visa Petition Process To Get Cheaper

An electronic registration system for H-1B work visa, the most sought after by India's IT professionals, could save American businesses more than $23 million over the next 10 years, a top US immigration agency has said.

To be published on Thursday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposes to establish an advance registration process for US employers seeking to file H-1B petitions for foreign workers in specialty occupations.

The proposed electronic system would minimise administrative burdens and expenses related to the H-1B petition process including reducing the need for employers to submit petitions for which visas would not be available under the statutory visa cap, USCIS said.

"The proposed rule would create a more efficient and cost-effective process for businesses interested in bringing workers in specialty occupations to the United States," said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas.

Improving the H-1B petition process is part of USCIS's ongoing efforts to leverage new ideas and innovation to streamline our operations and enhance customer service, he said.

Under the proposed rule, employers seeking to petition for H-1B workers subject to the statutory cap would register electronically with USCIS, a process that would take an estimated 30 minutes to complete.

Before the petition filing period begins, USCIS would select the number of registrations predicted to exhaust all available visas. Employers would then file petitions only for the selected registrations.

"The registration system would save employers the effort and expense of filing H-1B petitions, as well as Labor Condition Applications, for workers who would be unable to obtain visas under the statutory cap," the press release said.

The US had recently hiked visa fees in certain categories of H1B and L1, mainly used by Indian software professionals, to fund security measures along the US-Mexico border.(PTI)

Hyderabad To Newyork In 2 Hours Flight

How will it be if you can reach Delhi from Hyderabad in just 15 minutes? And how it will be is you can fly between Hyderabad and New York in 2 hours nonstop? Well, this might sound impossible but then this impossible is likely to become possible and the credit for that goes to NASA. If you are wondering what this is all about, here is the story.

Research is on in NASA to come up with a hypersonic plane that can travel 5 times faster than the speed of sound. Reports say that about three years will be spent in research and the technology will be scram jet powered. Usually, the speed of sound is 1035 km/hr so with the new hypersonic jet, one can travel from Mumbai to Delhi in just 14 minutes.

On an international level, the journey from Sydney to New York will be 1.5 hours. Sources reveal that about 24 crores is spent per year on the research and for now, they are facing hiccups in the engine design and fuel. The length of the jet is likely to be 12 feet in length, 5feet in width and weight is approximately 1300 kgs.

An aircraft will go upto 40000 feet and from there, the hypersonic jet would be dropped and then it flies. For starters, the first phase will have unmanned jets and after the desired results, passenger flying will take place. It is heard that the hypersonic jet is being prepared with warplane technology. However, inside members say that the main objective of NASA is to use this jet to visit the Mars planet and examine the possibility of existence of life there. Get ready for the new age aircraft folks.

Indian Government became online

http://www.india.gov.in/

Anti-outsourcing bill blocked in US senate

Wed, Sep 29 07:49 AM

Lalit K Jha Washington, Sep 29 (PTI) Senate Republicans successfully blocked the passage of an anti-offshoring bill that would have denied tax breaks to US companies which move jobs overseas. Republicans in a 53-45 vote prevented the bill from overcoming a filibuster.

At least 60 votes were needed to overcome the Opposition''s obstruction. As per the bill, there will be a ban on government contractors from using American taxpayers'' money to move jobs offshore.

What is seen as an electoral populist move, the Creating American Jobs and End Offshoring Act aims at small manufacturers and included a payroll tax exemption for firms that move jobs to US, but the bill also contains provisions to prevent businesses from deferring US taxes on the income they make from foreign subsidiaries. Indian IT honchos had said the bill won''t make much of an impact on India.

However, they warned that US companies operating in other countries may be beaten by the same stick. Several business groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) were strongly opposed to the legislation.

It had sent a letter to senators arguing the measure would make US corporations less competitive and hurt job creation. Terming the bill as an election gimmick, Republican senator Orrin Hatch slammed the Democrats for their "height of irresponsibility" that would put the US economy at "greater risk.

" "Desperate times call for desperate measures and the majority is showing how desperate they are with a bill that increases the tax burden on job creators and ship much-needed US jobs overseas." Hatch feared that "raising taxes on companies'' overseas profits will just incentivize them to move their domestic facilities to another country.

That is not the prescription that will cure our ailing economy." More PTI LKJ.