Indians grab maximum number of H-1B visas

US-H1B

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jul 8 (PTI) Indian professionals grabbed
one-third of the H-1B visas in 2009, even as there was a slump
for the most coveted US work visas in the past two years.
For the second year in running, there appears to be a
low key response to the US HS-1B visas with only 24,200
applications being received until July 2.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has
received some 10,400 applications against the Congressional
cap of 20,000 for individuals with advanced degrees.
After the first five days of having started to accept
applications, UCSIC had received just 13,500 H-1B petitions in
the general category and 5,600 in the advanced degree
category.
Until May 14, the USCIS had received 19,000 petitions
in the general category and 8,100 in the advanced degree
category.
US businesses use the H-1B programme to employ foreign
workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or
technical expertise in fields, such as scientists, engineers,
or computer programmers.
In the fiscal 2009, the Department of Homeland
Security said, as many as 123,002 Indians were issued H-1B
visas out of a total of 339,243.
Thus, India accounted for 36.3 per cent of the total
H-1B visas issued in 2009. However, in actual terms, the
number of Indians issued H-1B visas in 2009 dropped by more
than one fifth since 2007.
Coinciding with the general economic recession in the
US, there has been a sharp drop in the number of Indian
professionals receiving the most coveted H-1B work visas
between the years 2007 and 2009, latest official figures have
revealed.
Despite the drop of over 34,000 H-1B visas in two
years, India continues to be the leading country to get the
maximum number of this category of work visas for
professionals and is a way ahead of other nations of the
world, an analysis of the latest figures released by the
Department of Homeland Security reveal.
In the fiscal 2007, as many as 157,613 Indians were
issued the H-1B visas, while in 2008, the number dropped to
154,725.
This sharp drop has also resulted in decrease in
short-term resident non-immigrants. In 2009, 364,757 Indians
were in the US in this category, as against 425,826 the
previous year in 2008. PTI LKJ
MRD


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