H-1B Visa Registrations: The US has announced plans to modernize the H-1B visa registration process. This is being done because the process being used till now was riddled with frauds and malpractices.
A US federal agency has announced plans to modernize the H-1B registration process after discovering abuse and fraud by some companies. This is being done so as to enhance the chances of granting the coveted visa for skilled foreign workers.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to hire foreign workers for theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire thousands of employees every year from countries like India and China.
The petition is canceled if there is a discrepancy
In a statement, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on Friday that it has already conducted fraud investigations based on evidence from the fiscal year 2023 and 2024 H-1B cap seasons. At the same time, the petition in which there is a discrepancy has been rejected and dismissed. USCIS, the federal agency that provides H-1B visas, said it is in the process of initiating law enforcement referrals for criminal prosecution.
Registration numbers have increased as compared to previous years
It added, “We are working on the upcoming H-1B Modernization Rule, which will help to strengthen the H-1B registration process, to reduce the potential for abuse and fraud in the H-1B registration system.” USCIS said that during the registration period for the FY 2024 H-1B cap, it saw a significant increase compared to previous years.
It said that 7,80,884 applications for H-1B visas have come in the computer-generated lottery this year, while 4,83,927 in 2023 and 3,01,447 in 2022 and 2,74,237 in 2021. The number of registrations related to people who applied more than once this year increased from 165,180 last year and 90,143 in the year before that i.e. 2021 to 408,891 this year.
H-1B visa is issued for three years
Let us tell you, H-1B visa is issued for three years and it can be extended for another three years. The federal agency warned that if the information provided by an applicant or company is not correct, the registration will not be properly issued. Due to which the prospective petitioner would not be eligible to file the petition on the basis of that registration.
What is H1B Visa?
H1B visa is a non-resident visa for the United States. Any Indian citizen can go abroad and do a job on this visa. On the other hand, if American companies give a job to a foreigner, then that person is allowed to work in America only after taking H1B.
Action can be taken if any kind of error is found
USCIS denies or denies a petition if its documents include incorrect verification or are not properly submitted. Provided further that in such a situation USCIS may also contact the person or entity that submitted an incorrect verification to the appropriate federal law enforcement agencies for investigation and further action as appropriate.
A group of American technical workers campaigning against H-1B visas said that USCIS has been talking about such fraud for the past several years.
