Indian Professionals Face Job Uncertainty Amid H1B Visa Reforms: Report
Hyderabad: Ever since President-elect Donald Trump’s administration expressed its intention to introduce stricter immigration policies in the country, employers and staff are bracing themselves for any shocks regarding the contentious H1B visa program. However, it seems that the impacts are already taking place.
According to a Times of India report, several professionals have been hit by job offer withdrawals, visa delays, and warnings of potential layoffs.
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Out of the 38,000 H1B visas issued in 2023, nearly 72 percent were to Indians working mostly in STEM fields like AI, machine learning, data science, and others.
Three professionals in the US had their job offers abruptly revoked due to “visa-related concerns,” reported TOI. One such individual was Vaishnavi Puvvada, a Hyderabad-based software engineer who was hired by a US firm in December and was planning to move to San Francisco for the same.
However, her offer was revoked, citing “changing visa dynamics.” The tech giant told Puvvada that the firm will issue her offer letter again when a concrete decision is made once Trump assumes office.
With Trump’s administration set to “reform” the H1B program by increasing salary thresholds and costs for employers in an attempt to prioritise American jobs and workers.
The lack of certainty has also affected some professionals facing delays over their H1B visa sponsorship. With a lack of clarity, some employees worry about losing their jobs if there is a major reform in the future.
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Still others holding a secure visa worry about management’s announcement regarding workforce reductions. “The management hasn’t stated categorically if these layoffs are linked to visa issues, but the timing is suspicious,” TOI quoted a software developer from Gujarat working in California as saying.
Tesla owner Elon Musk has expressed his support for the H-1B visa system but argued for some reforms in the system. On the other hand, speculations are rising that the H1-B visa cap of current 7 percent can be removed or extended, contrary, the demands are raising domestically to reform H-1B visa process.
