Quick H-1B visa good, but not for IT: Nasscom

BENGALURU: Industry body Nasscom on Tuesday said the decision to resume H-1B premium processing for specific domains would not have any impact on the IT sector.

“As of now, the premium processing of H-1B is being resumed for certain cap-exempt cases like higher education, not-for profit companies and the likes. Our member companies do not apply for this visa,” said Shivendra Singh, spokesperson for Nasscom.

“Having said that, although this would not have any impact on the sector, we see this as a good sign of progress being made by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS) in restoring premium processing for everyone”.

H1-B is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to hire foreign talent in areas that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialised fields. The usual procedure for H-1B visa processing takes about a month for the immigration services to respond. With premium processing, a company can pay extra to know within 15 days if a prospective employee is eligible for the visa.

The US on Sunday said it will resume the premium processing for certain cap-exempt H-1B visa applications, which it had temporarily suspended after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April to toughen the rules to stop visa abuses. The H-1B premium processing comes in handy for Indian IT companies who send their employees to work onsite at client locations which is popular among Indian IT professionals.