Jaishankar said that out of 116,031 new H1-B visa petitions, 27,707 were denied in the fiscal year 2019.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that out of 116,031 new H1-B visa petitions, 27,707 were denied in the fiscal year 2019.
He said that Trump administration's changes in the application program for issuing an H1-B visa have become more complex, adding that it takes more documentation requirements on behalf of the petitioners. Now, the visa application process has higher levels of scrutiny.
He also said that Indian nationals accounted for nearly 70% of all H1-B visas issued by the United States of America in the last financial year.
In the Fiscal year 2018, out of the 1.79 H1-B visa issued by the US Department of state, 1.25 Lakh were issued to Indian nationals which accounted for 70% of the total visas issued.
Speaking on the issue of H4 visas being issued to the spouses of Indian nationals to work in USA, Jaishankar said, "Indians today account for 93% of the total number of visas issued in this category. There was some controversy whether this programme will be continued but right now it is continuing...There is a court order to the effect that it should be continued but the Trump administration has indicated that it may review it."
Jaishankar on Thursday told the parliament that it has been trying to convince the US to tap into the Indian talent pool for "mutual benefit."
"Issuing visas is the sovereign prerogative of other states. But at the same time, there are very important economic and business and social interests...We are constantly in touch with the American system, the American government, members of the Congress to convince them that tapping into the Indian talent pool is for our mutual benefit," Jaishankar said in Rajya Sabha.
During question hour in Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar was asked about seven IT companies whose H1-B visa application was rejected by the US, to which he replied saying that there were no disqualifications but the number of visa applications has come down.
"With regard to seven major Indian employers, there is no disqualification on any of them. The number of visas for which they have applied to has come down in the last two years. Denial rates have also gone up," Jaishankar said.
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