A new bill has been introduced in the US Congress that seeks a three-year pause to theH1-B visa programme. The bill has been introduced by a group of Republican lawmakers and suggests that it has been hijacked to replace American workers with cheap foreign labour.
The bill proposes reforms to the H-1B programme that include reducing the annual cap from 65,000 to 25,000 with a minimum wage of USD 2,00,000 per year and disallowing H-1B visa holders from bringing dependents to the US.
Congressmen Brian Babin, Brandon Gill, Wesley Hunt, Keith Self (all from Texas), Andy Ogles (Tennessee), Paul Gosar (Arizona) and Tom McClintock (California) have signed on as original cosponsors of the bill.
The H-1B visa programme is used extensively by American technology companies to employ foreign workers. Indian professionals, including technology workers and physicians, form one of the largest groups of H-1B visa holders.
The programme includes a lottery system.
Read More -USCIS Updates Form I-129: What The New Rules Mean For H-1B Visa Applicants
The bill seeks changes to the H-1B programme, including,
1. replacing the lottery system with a wage-based selection system,
2. requiring employers to certify they cannot find a qualified American worker and have not conducted layoffs,
3. barring H-1B workers from holding multiple jobs,
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
