'No big changes' in H-1B visa says US Deputy Chief of Mission Carlson

There have been "no big changes" in the H-1B programme and "nothing new" on the H-4 visa policy, the US said on Wednesday, amid the Trump administration's plan to overhaul the immigration system. US Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) in Delhi, MaryKay L Carlson said granting employment visa and work permits is the sovereign decision of a country. 

The US Mission here on Wednesday observed 'Student Visa Day', an event to celebrate higher education ties between India and the United States. "There have been no big changes in the H-1B programme and nothing new on H-4...," Carlson told reporters here. Certainly, employment visa and work permits for Indians is the sovereign decision of the US, the official said. The Trump administration's move to end the Obama-era rule could have an impact on more than 70,000 H-4 visas holders, who have work permits.

US delays its proposal to end H-1B spouses' work authorisation until June

The Trump administration has delayed its decision on termination of work authorisation for spouses of the H-1B visa holders, in a big relief to a significantly large number of Indian workers and their families.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a court submission this week said that it would not take a decision on terminating the work authorisation of H4 visa users, spouses of H-1B visa holders, till June as it needs time to review the economic impact of such a decision.

Since 2015, the spouses of H-1B, or high-skilled, visa holders waiting for green cards have been eligible to work in the US on H-4 dependent visas, under a rule introduced by the previous Obama administration. The DHS was previously scheduled to take a call on it by February 28.

70% of H-1B visas issued to Indians in past 9 months: US official

A senior US official on Thursday sought to allay India's concerns on the H-1B visa programme, which is being "reviewed" by the Trump administration, saying there are no "restrictions" in place.

The official said around 70 per cent of the visas issued under the H-1B category over the past nine months have gone to Indians and that a record 1.2 million visas of Indians were adjudicated by the US last year.

The year-over-year increase in terms of issuance of H-1B visas and L1 visas (work permit) to Indians is six per cent each, the official said.

"The President (Donald Trump) spoke about review. There are no restrictions but it (H-1B) is under review," he said, adding the issue was not on the agenda for the upcoming Indo- US bilateral dialogue on consular relations, but it may come up in the course of the talks.

The issue of the repealing of the Deferred Action for Children Arrival (DACA) programme, which has hit more than 7,000 Indian-Americans, may also figure in the talks scheduled to be held on September 27 in Washington.

Trump had signed an executive order in April for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop "visa abuses".
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