The United States on Monday resumed fast processing of H-1B work visas in all categories, five months after suspending it because of a huge rush of applications. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it had resumed premium processing of all applications, subject to mandated caps.
The visa cap for financial year 2018 is 65,000.
The premium processing of the annual 20,000 additional petitions, allocated for workers with a higher educational degree in the US, has also resumed.
In March, the US had announced that it was suspending the fast processing option for H-1B visa applications received on or after April 3. This was done with the aim to allow firms to bring in highly-skilled workers in a few weeks, rather than over several months, for an additional amount.
Applications requesting premium service get a 15-day guarantee to be processed by the agency, failing which it refunds the service fee.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant permit that allows companies in the US to employ foreign workers in occupations that need specialised skills. IT companies rely heavily on this work visa to hire employees from overseas every year.
India sends the maximum number of H-1B workers to the US. The Indian government has been attempting to lobby with the White House to reconsider its decision to tighten H-1B rules.
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