US cuts down H-1B visas for Indians

NEW DELHI: United States has cut

down issuance of H-1B visas for Indian overseas professionals.

This comes in the wake of allegations that the companies were

abusing the H-1B visa programme.

Connecticut Republican

Congresswoman Nancy Johnson has requested the chief executives of

five leading American insurance companies, Aetna, Inc., CIGNA

Corp, The Hartford Financial Services Group, The Phoenix Cos,

Inc. and Travelers Property Casualty Corp, to reveal how many

Indian citizens they are employing in IT.






The number of people approved for employment under the H-1B
status has been declining, with the 60,500 people being approved

in the first three quarters of the fiscal 2002, the limit in the

period being 1,95,000, said a release from the immigration

authorities, under the Department of Homeland Security.






However, compared as on June 30, 2001, 1,30,700 people were
approved to begin employment in H-1B status.






A total of 1,59,000 H-1B petitions were filed for initial or
continuing H-1B employment during the first nine months of fiscal

year 2002 compared to 2,70,000 and 2,20,000 for the corresponding

period in 2001 and 2000, respectively.

(Source: IRIS)