Amendments to H-1B Visa may actually benefit Indian IT workers

Changes proposed by Donald Trump, the US President, to the H-1B visa programme may actually profit Indian IT professionals by helping them earn higher wages, said Ignatius Chithelen, founder and managing partner of Banyan Tree Capital Management, in an article on the Wharton School’s website. He said that the new visa rules could raise labour costs for tech companies as well as American businesses that use outsourcing services. Chithelen was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying that these additional costs would be amount to approximately $2.6 billion a year. It can be inferred that the holders of H-1B visa would earn $100,000 on an average annually at major companies, though the number of visas issued would remain unchanged, he added. The new visa policy is likely to be announced during November, said Chithelen. He said that from 2018, the visas would be given to applicants who have the highest skills and wages. He felt that the H-1B visa numbers could be reduced as ‘hire Americans’ is the emphasis now. Chithelen said that the increasing supply of tech workers from India intending to work in the US has prevented wages in the tech industry from rising too high. He concluded by saying that Indians with advanced degrees in the US and their compatriots applying for H-1B jobs would be in a position to find jobs with increased wages and improved working conditions. If you are pondering migrating to the US, get in touch with Y-Axis, one of India’s most reputed immigration consultancy companies, to apply for a visa from one of its several offices.