NASSCOM STATEMENT ON H-1B VISAS DEVELOPMENT

“There have been some speculation that the US Administration is considering lowering the cap on new H-1B visas. However, there has been no official confirmation yet from the US government on the matter yet, and we await clarity from official sources.

The United States’ global leadership in technology has been made possible, in part, by its ability to attract the most talented workers from around the world. If U.S. policy make it more difficult to hire advanced tech workers, it will only weaken the U.S. companies that depend on them to help fill their skills gaps, put jobs at risk, creating pressure to send technology services abroad. In April 2019, the number of unfilled jobs stood at 7.5 million. 67% of these, or 2 in every 3 jobs, required specific technical skills. It is this very unmet technical requirement that skilled immigrants, including workers on H-1B visas, have helped meet in the U.S.

Indian nationals accounted for majority of all approved H-1Bs in FY 2017. This is a testimony to their skill-set. Only a small share of these Indian nationals are employed by Indian companies. The vast majority of them are sponsored by global and U.S. multinationals. If such a move were to be implemented, it will imply an even further crunch for businesses to access the skilled workers they need – this is true for all businesses operating in the U.S.; including both Indian as well as American and global firms.”