look news india
News India Live, Digital Desk: A big news is coming for Indian IT professionals and foreign workers already living there who dream of working in America. A new bill has been introduced in the US Parliament (Congress), which is being known as ‘House File 2513’. The main objective of this bill is to make stringent changes in the H-1B visa rules. If this bill becomes law, it will have the biggest impact on Indians, who are considered the backbone of the American tech industry.
What is ‘House File 2513’ and its main purpose?
‘House File 2513’ is a proposal to amend America’s immigration laws. Through this bill, the US government is claiming to remove the shortcomings of the H-1B visa program and protect the interests of local American workers. It has been proposed in the bill that there should be a huge increase in the minimum wage given to foreign workers. This means that it will no longer be as cheap for American companies to hire foreign talent as before.
How will it directly affect Indians?
The US issues thousands of H-1B visas every year, a large portion of which go to Indian engineers and technical experts. In this new bill, it has been said that visas will be given on the basis of ‘priority’. That is, the workers who have the highest salary will have greater chances of getting a visa. This will increase difficulties for entry-level professionals who want to move to America with less experience. Also, the cost of Indian IT companies which send professionals on a large scale for projects will also increase significantly.
Criteria will be strict for foreign workers
This bill proposes to tighten not only the salary but also the level of educational qualification and expertise. Supporters of the bill say that only the ‘best’ talents will be able to come to America. However, critics believe that this bill is an attempt to draw foreign talent away from America. Apart from this, the bill also calls for making some clear rules regarding the work permit of spouses of H-1B visa holders (H-4 visa holders), which can affect thousands of families living there.
Will this bill become law?
At present ‘House File 2513’ has only been introduced. It must be passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate to become law and ultimately require the President’s signature. There is a lot of discussion on such bills amid the election atmosphere in America. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs and IT sector body ‘NASSCOM’ are keeping a close eye on this development. Experts say that if this is implemented, companies will have to make major changes in their hiring strategy.