More Indian skilled professionals are apparently winging their way to the US again. The US government has reported a 24% increase in H1-B visas to Indians between 2010 and 2011.In a statement on Tuesday, the US embassy in India said specialized skills work visas for Indians had increased from 54,111 in 2010 to 67,195 in 2011.
The US statement comes on the back of sustained Indian complaints from industry and the government that more and more Indian skilled workers trying to move to the US were being denied entry. Some Indian officials even pegged the rejections at an informal 20%. The Indian complaints were bolstered by statements made by US president Barack Obama seeming to suggest that importing Bangalore techies was bad for US business.
The US, however, rejected the Indian complaints. It said, “The 24% increase is tied to the highest ever H1-B application and issuance rates in the history of the US mission to India, and illustrates the booming nature of USIndia business relations.”It added, “India is the single largest beneficiary of H1-B visas by a wide margin: in the past four years, applicants in India have received more than twice as many H1-B visas as the four nexthighest countries combined.” The US also countered any suggestion that they were cracking down on L-1 (intra-company transfers) visas. It said, “India also remains the leader in issuances of L-1 (intra-company transfer) visas, issuing more than 25,000 L-1s in FY 2011 – or 37% of issuances worldwide.”
The US statement comes on the back of sustained Indian complaints from industry and the government that more and more Indian skilled workers trying to move to the US were being denied entry. Some Indian officials even pegged the rejections at an informal 20%. The Indian complaints were bolstered by statements made by US president Barack Obama seeming to suggest that importing Bangalore techies was bad for US business.
The US, however, rejected the Indian complaints. It said, “The 24% increase is tied to the highest ever H1-B application and issuance rates in the history of the US mission to India, and illustrates the booming nature of USIndia business relations.”It added, “India is the single largest beneficiary of H1-B visas by a wide margin: in the past four years, applicants in India have received more than twice as many H1-B visas as the four nexthighest countries combined.” The US also countered any suggestion that they were cracking down on L-1 (intra-company transfers) visas. It said, “India also remains the leader in issuances of L-1 (intra-company transfer) visas, issuing more than 25,000 L-1s in FY 2011 – or 37% of issuances worldwide.”
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