65,000 H-1B visa cap still not exhausted

The demand for H-1B visas to work in the US has eased as concerns mount about a possible wave of protectionism, but the scene is different for those with advanced American degrees who are eligible for 20,000 visas over and above the 65,000 H-1B visas issued annually.

The United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) is yet to receive enough applications to exhaust the total number of H-1B visas, which are capped at 65,000 annually. However, the agency has crossed 20,000 petitions already in the advance degree category and is still accepting applications as a lot are rejected every year in this section.

“The slowdown and job losses in the US and the Employ American Workers Act, which makes it difficult for companies that have received funds under the US government’s bailout package to hire H-1B workers are the reasons behind fewer takers for H-1B visas. However, students with masters degrees and above from the US are still attractive for US employers who are finding the right kind of skills that they require. Many of these students have also interned with US companies who are now sponsoring them for their H-1Bs,” says Sudhir Shah, an immigration lawyer based in Mumbai.

Education consultants feel that US companies still need certain specialised skills and will have to hire H-1B workers and Indian students already in the US could become the first choice.