US may get into legal trouble if H-1B visa extensions are stopped, say experts

The US may get into legal trouble if H-1B visa extensions are stopped according to industry experts and immigration lawyers in the US. They are also of the view that intense lobbying can find a way out for this controversial issue. Any such move to stop H-1B visa extensions will affect not only Indian IT firms but also US IT giants such as IBM and Google.

US Tech giants employ workers through the H-1B Visas. Many of these are awaiting their Green Cards for more than a decade now, said the experts. The US firms can file legal suits against the government of the US to safeguard their workers. Most of the workers are Senior or Mid-level managers and it will adversely affect businesses if there is large scale deportation.

Measures such as curtailing work for spouses and enhancing fees for H-1B visas may get approved, said the Immigration lawyers. But the proposal to stop H-1B visa extensions is doubtful to be executed, they added, as quoted by the Economic Times.

It is the question of 5 lakh workers who are employed with firms such as Google and IBM, said Law Quest Managing Partner Poorvi Chotani. These companies have large budgets for lobbying and the power to pursue a legal battle against the government, added Chotani.

Grant Thornton India’s Transaction Advisory services Partner Raja Lahiri said that the move to enhance US job growth is acceptable. But the way in which H-1B visas are being curbed is discriminatory, added Lahiri. This will definitely impact the bilateral ties between the US and India, said the expert.

The proposal to stop H-1B visa extensions will adversely affect the businesses, said the industry experts. It could also have a political-social impact if people are forcefully deported, they added.

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