US reaches Congressionally-mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for 2021, all details here

The US has received enough petitions needed to reach the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for the fiscal year 2021. As per the process, authorities will now select the successful candidates for a work visa by a computerized draw of the total applicants. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from across the world apply for the H-1B visa to live the ‘American dream’.

Read: US Govt Urged To Halt H1-B Visa Issuance To Indians Till Cap On Green Card Is Removed

Read: New UK Citizenship Visa Route Opens For Hong Kong Residents

What is -1B Visa?

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows the US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. As per official data, foreign workers at tech companies like TCS, Cognizant, Infosys, and Wipro make up to 50 per cent of their worker’s population.

Meanwhile, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in an update confirmed that it has received a sufficient number of applications needed. Additionally, it also revealed that it has also got the  20,000 H-1B visa US advanced degree exemption, known as the master's cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2021. However, the department also clarified that they would continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap.

"Petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, and who still retain their cap number, are exempt from the FY 2021 H-1B cap." the department said. In this case, visa applications would still be accepted to extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the United States, change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers, allow current H-1B workers to change employers and allow current H-1B workers to work concurrently in a second H-1B position. In addendum, the Department has also completed sending non-selection notifications to registrants’ online accounts. 

Read: Moscow Denies Visa To Candidate For NASA Post, Calls It 'reciprocal Action'

Read: UK Performers Say Post-Brexit Visa Rules Spell Disaster

Image: Pixabey