India has conveyed its concerns to the US "at a very senior level" on the move to curb H-1B visa…
Ravi Shankar Prasad (PHOTO: Facebook)
India has conveyed its concerns to the US "at a very senior level" on the move to curb H-1B visa processing, Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday.
“I think our concerns at a very senior level has already been conveyed to the government of US. I would not like to get into the details except that Indian IT companies are giving good value addition to US companies,” Prasad said.
The Union minister said that the Indian IT companies are servicing more than 75 per cent of Fortune 500 companies.
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“They are making them more competitive and giving them extraordinary value addition. I am given to understand that they have paid around $ 20 billion tax revenue in last 5 years. They have created 4,00,000 jobs, not only in America but other parts of the world. Indian IT companies and IT professionals are giving lot of opening to American companies in India,” Prasad said.
Last week, it was announced that US would be temporarily suspending premium processing of H-1B visa from April 3, eliminating the option of shorter waiting period for the programme that helps highly skilled foreigners work at American firms.
Under the current system, companies submitting applications for H-1B visas for potential employees have to pay an additional sum for expedited service, which is known as premium processing. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the temporary suspension could last up to six months, .
H-1B visas are widely used by Indian IT majors. Premium processing costs an additional $1,225 and ensures a response from the USCIS within 15 days or the fee is refunded. Processing of standard H-1B applications take between 3 and 6 months.
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