USA Announces H1-B Changes in 2020

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  • October 31, 2020

USA announced the changed to the H1-B program for high skilled workers according to which, the wages that US companies pay to foreign workers will be raised and the eligibility criteria for the prospect applicants will be reduced.

The H1-B visa is a non-immigrant visa that enables US employers to hire foreign workers in particular professions that require special expertise.

The changes will directly affect both the foreign workers as well as employers, especially the tech companies that have supported and relied on this program for long.

The new Department of Labor rule is designed to discourage the American companies from undercutting the American workers as with effect of new regulation, they have to increase the pay of H-1B recipients. The Trump administrations has accounted for its restraints on foreign work visas by declaring that the American workers should be given priority amidst the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new rule is said to come in the effect mid-December and it is expected to tighten the eligibility for visa applicants. As per the rule, foreign workers are required to have specified degree in specialty occupation they wish to apply for. Some would also need to show how their studies provided “a body of highly specialized knowledge” for a potential job in the United States.

It is expected that the petition filed annually for the visas will be cut by one third due to these changes. Immigration experts believe it will be challenged in court as they avoided the normal regulatory process.
Business groups have filed a lawsuit over the executive order with an argument that the US has benefited from temporary worker visa holders year after year.

For now, it is difficult to say anything about the implementation of the changes. Please keep following us for the updates regarding the latest immigration news.

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