H-1B applicants face a challenging year ahead as political pushback to the visas is reinforced with a slew of actions from the U.S. administration.
On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in India posted on X that since Dec. 15, it has started conducting online presence reviews of all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants in a bid to curb the “abuse of the H-1B program.”
The U.S. Department of Labour last week proposed a wage protection law, which experts said could dissuade companies from sponsoring H-1Bs for employees.
This would “substantially increase the prevailing wage across the board for all H-1B holders,” Manish Daftari, partner at immigration consultancy Vialto Partners, told CNBC. He added that “companies will most likely reduce the number of H-1B sponsorship” once this rule is implemented.
In addition, a proposal by the Department of Homeland Security for a weighted selection rule that prioritizes the highest-paid workers when making selections for the H-1B lottery is reportedly in the final stages of review.
