Over 65% of H1-B visas since 2015 granted to Indians: MEA

According to the Shri S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, about 67-72% of total US H1-B visas have been granted to Indians in the last five years. He mentioned, “Most recently, issues of H-1B visa were raised during the visit of the US Secretary of State, Michael R Pompeo, to India on June 26, 2019. In our engagements, we have emphasised that this has been a mutually-beneficial partnership, which should be nurtured.” The minister also added that there have been no significant changes to the H-1B visa programme so far.

The ministry’s data suggests that the number of Indian nationals who were issued H1-B visas were: 125,528 in 2018, 129,097 in 2017; 126,692 in 2016; and 119,952 in 2015. H-1B visa has been designed to enable American firms to recruit foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. This non-immigrant visa has recently come under the scrutiny of US administration, which has increased the documentation requirements for the same.