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H-1B Visa Latest News Update: Amid ongoing layoffs across tech companies including Meta, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and several others, US president Joe Biden's advisory sub-committee has recommended extending the grace period of H1B visa holders to 180 days from 60 days. The recommendations of the committee will now be sent to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, said, “The immigration subcommittee recommends the Department of Homeland Security and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to extend the grace period for H-1B workers, who have lost their jobs, from 60 days to 180 days."

If it gets a go-ahead, this will be a big relief to laid-off NRIs as they either had to find another company to sponsor their visas or leave the country in a span of 60 days. On the other hand, the initial registration period for the 2024 H-1B visas for skilled professionals is currently underway and will end on March 17. Prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to complete and submit their registrations using the online H-1B registration system during this period.

WHAT IS H-1B Visa?

For the unversed, the H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in fields such as IT, finance, engineering, etc. In FY 2021, Indians bagged the highest number of H1B visas - over 74 per cent of the allotments. Out of 4.07 lakh H-1B visas approved by the USCIS, 3.01 lakh were allotted to Indians whereas, 50,000 Chinese received the visas.

Read more:  Timesnownews

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