Hopes were raised this past week regarding the U.S. economy when Silicon India, an online news source, reported that the H 1B visa cap for foreign workers wishing to come to the US would be met much earlier than expected. The online article noted that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency in charge of citizenship and immigration, announced that the cap of 65,000 for H 1B visas, which covers those with specialized knowledge in certain technical areas, will be reached in August and the cap of 20,000 for H 1B visas, which are designated for foreign students in the U.S. who hold a graduate degrees and will transition to become workers, looks to be reached by late July.
When contacted regarding this apparent new trend in visa applications Attorney Kaushik Ranchod, whose law office in the San Francisco Bay area works with companies and individuals on H 1B visas in all 50 states, said, “In checking the sources for this story, specifically the USCIS site, it is at best unsubstantiated. If it were true, this would be a major story having impact worldwide.” Mr. Ranchod added, “It’s especially important because the fact is that the 2010 cap was not reached until December 2009; and recent projections envisioned the 2011 cap would not be met in 2010.”
One reason the H1 B visa is seen as being so important in indicating economic trends has to do with the types of jobs that this specific visa covers. This visa is for those with professional expertise in areas such as engineering, computer programming and science, which are instrumental in maintaining the economic health of the nation. Also, in order for someone to apply for an H 1B visa, they must have a firm offer of work. If there were a rise in applications, it would mean that U.S. companies are hiring, signaling a recovering economy.
“It would be great news for everyone,” Attorney Ranchod observed. “Those who want a H 1B visa may apply starting on April 1. For many years the cap for applications was reached in a few weeks or even a few days after April 1. Then last fiscal year the request for applications dropped off precipitously and, of course, the U.S. economy struggled.” He added, “I checked the figures and applications this year are actually down compared to applications last year at the same time. The latest USCIS figures, as of July 2, 2010, show that approximately 24,200 H 1B petitions have been filed.
With so much information on the Internet it’s important that readers protect themselves from unsubstantiated reports. Attorney Ranchod noted that when a report surfaces, especially through a source whose verity is unknown, that readers should go back to the apparent source of the story. The source for this story was allegedly the USCIS. Once the site was carefully checked, it was clear that not only was there no surge in H 1B applications but that they were actually well behind last year’s numbers. That is not good economic news.
More information on this trend and on the H 1B visa and L1 visa process may be found at http://www.ranchodlaw.com/
Attorney Ranchod, who graduated from the University of Southern California, was valedictorian of his major. His name has been added to the prestigious Trojan Wall of Fame http://www.ranchodlaw.com/
