Ajay Bhutoria, a commissioner and key member Indian American Community In Silicon Valley, a key meeting of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders on Tuesday presented two recommendations to US President Joe Biden’s advisory commission.
The recommendations, if accepted, will come as a big relief to thousands of Indians living and working temporarily in the US h-1b work permit and facing long delays in obtaining permanent residency or a green card.
While a recommendation made during the meeting of the Commission highlighted the challenges faced by h-1b visa holders In the United States, proposed that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security provide Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and travel documents to individuals who filed I-140 employment-based visa petitions in EB-1 approved, EB-2, EB-3 categories, and have been waiting in the visa backlog for five or more years, even if they have filed an application for adjustment of status; The second was to increase the grace period for H-1B visa holders to leave the US from 60 days to 180 days.
Given the thousands of employees being laid off by large technology companies in the US; The extension will provide affected workers, who face the additional problem of moving out of visa status if they lose their jobs, more time to find new employment opportunities without fear of losing their status in the United States.
In his presentation, Bhutoria, who is a strong advocate of fair immigration policies, highlighted the significant challenges faced by H-1B workers who have been fired from their jobs. The current 60-day grace period presents many hurdles, including finding a new job within a tight deadline, complicated paperwork to transfer H-1B status, and processing delays at USCIS. As a result, many H-1B workers are being forced to leave the United States. On this recommendation, Bhutoria strongly advocated an extension of the grace period, citing the need to support the highly skilled technical workforce essential to the economic development of the United States.
This extension will provide affected employees more time to find new employment opportunities and navigate the complex and time-consuming process of transferring their H-1B status to new employers.
This recommendation was met with great enthusiasm by members of the President’s Advisory Commission, who recognized the importance of supporting and retaining highly skilled technology workers, and extending the grace period would be a step toward achieving this goal. The recommendation will now be presented to President Biden and if approved by him and implemented by USCIS, it will bring great relief to thousands of Indian professionals in the US who have lost their jobs and are facing uncertainty.
The second recommendation was made by Bhutoria with a long-term solution in mind, given that highly skilled foreign-born workers, including thousands from India, face long waits for their immigrant visas to be processed. , during which they may be deprived of job opportunities. or be forced to leave the country because their prior nonimmigrant visa has expired. providing employment authorization and travel documents to persons approving I-140 employment-based visa petitions; The United States can continue to benefit from their skills and expertise while immigrant visas are being finalized.
Bhutoria pointed out that the policy will also improve the lives of many foreign-born scientists, engineers and physicians, who often face significant uncertainty and stress as they wait for their visas to be approved. Granting an EAD will provide them and their families with greater stability and security. This recommendation was discussed in detail by the members of the commission who felt that it needed more information. Now it will be discussed again in the next meeting of the commission.
Significantly, based on Bhutoria’s recommendation, the US State Department has recently announced the launch of a pilot program for H-1B stamping in the US, which will provide convenience and flexibility to H-1B visa holders who need to travel abroad. need to.
The recommendations, if accepted, will come as a big relief to thousands of Indians living and working temporarily in the US h-1b work permit and facing long delays in obtaining permanent residency or a green card.
While a recommendation made during the meeting of the Commission highlighted the challenges faced by h-1b visa holders In the United States, proposed that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security provide Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and travel documents to individuals who filed I-140 employment-based visa petitions in EB-1 approved, EB-2, EB-3 categories, and have been waiting in the visa backlog for five or more years, even if they have filed an application for adjustment of status; The second was to increase the grace period for H-1B visa holders to leave the US from 60 days to 180 days.
Given the thousands of employees being laid off by large technology companies in the US; The extension will provide affected workers, who face the additional problem of moving out of visa status if they lose their jobs, more time to find new employment opportunities without fear of losing their status in the United States.
In his presentation, Bhutoria, who is a strong advocate of fair immigration policies, highlighted the significant challenges faced by H-1B workers who have been fired from their jobs. The current 60-day grace period presents many hurdles, including finding a new job within a tight deadline, complicated paperwork to transfer H-1B status, and processing delays at USCIS. As a result, many H-1B workers are being forced to leave the United States. On this recommendation, Bhutoria strongly advocated an extension of the grace period, citing the need to support the highly skilled technical workforce essential to the economic development of the United States.
This extension will provide affected employees more time to find new employment opportunities and navigate the complex and time-consuming process of transferring their H-1B status to new employers.
This recommendation was met with great enthusiasm by members of the President’s Advisory Commission, who recognized the importance of supporting and retaining highly skilled technology workers, and extending the grace period would be a step toward achieving this goal. The recommendation will now be presented to President Biden and if approved by him and implemented by USCIS, it will bring great relief to thousands of Indian professionals in the US who have lost their jobs and are facing uncertainty.
The second recommendation was made by Bhutoria with a long-term solution in mind, given that highly skilled foreign-born workers, including thousands from India, face long waits for their immigrant visas to be processed. , during which they may be deprived of job opportunities. or be forced to leave the country because their prior nonimmigrant visa has expired. providing employment authorization and travel documents to persons approving I-140 employment-based visa petitions; The United States can continue to benefit from their skills and expertise while immigrant visas are being finalized.
Bhutoria pointed out that the policy will also improve the lives of many foreign-born scientists, engineers and physicians, who often face significant uncertainty and stress as they wait for their visas to be approved. Granting an EAD will provide them and their families with greater stability and security. This recommendation was discussed in detail by the members of the commission who felt that it needed more information. Now it will be discussed again in the next meeting of the commission.
Significantly, based on Bhutoria’s recommendation, the US State Department has recently announced the launch of a pilot program for H-1B stamping in the US, which will provide convenience and flexibility to H-1B visa holders who need to travel abroad. need to.
,
- Advertisement -
