Commission suggests stamping H-1B visas in the US: If President Joe Biden follows through on the suggestion, it would be a massive relief for thousands of foreign workers. Moreover, the Presidential Panel on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders unanimously endorsed the recommendation.
H-1B visas allow US companies to recruit foreign nationals for specialized positions requiring theoretical or technical knowledge. Technology companies hire tens of thousands of employees annually from China and India.
According to the current obligatory procedure, before one’s H-1B status may activate. One must apply for a visa stamp at a US consulate or embassy overseas.
During its meeting on Wednesday at the White House, the President’s advisory committee on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders made the decision.
Notably, many of them, whether they are applying for new H-1B visas or waiting for renewals, are experiencing uncertainty due to lengthy visa application appointments in nations like India, where the current wait time is more than a year. Indian American Commission member Ajay Jain Bhutoria made a suggestion.
Bhutoria said at the commission meeting, which was broadcast live by the White House, “As part of our immigration process. H-1B visa holders given the chance to work in the United States, live here, and contribute to the growth of our economy, innovation, and economic development.”
He informed the commission’s members that H-1B visa holders often experience forced family separation during renewal or when they go abroad.
“There are cases when a lot of individuals, whose parents have been in ICU or in critical condition or who have lost a parent, could not fly back to the home nation because they were afraid that there was often a delay in the visa appointments in the home countries,” he added.
They can’t get an appointment, they can’t get their visas stamped, and they get stuck, according to Bhaturia. “Right now, the waiting period is 844 days in India, which is like two years or more.
There’s a similar situation in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and many other countries. Right now, China is much better.
Bhaturia, a wealthy businessman based in Silicon Valley, has backed President Biden’s candidacy from the beginning.
While they had the chance to work legally here, he claimed, “Whatever happens afterward, they could lose the job.” In addition, the wife and kids here separated and have no means to sustain themselves; spouses often don’t drive. “Many of these scenarios cause a disturbance in their lives.”
According to him, the suggestion essentially urges USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Commission) to amend its policy to offer instructions for the extension and stamping of visas in the US by USCIS, as it did many years before.
He said, “It was done before, and it halted.
Bhutoria stated, “This recommendation is to request USCIS to allow the stamping in the US.” USCIS could also explore offering advance travel documentation to these visa holders. So they may re-enter the US without re-stamping in their home countries.
Several commission members characterized this as a mental health and family separation concern.
Indian-American Chief Commissioner Sonal Shah said that this is a matter of family separation and the dignity of H-1B visa holders.
She said, “That’s a simple method to terrorize families.”
Shah stated, “It’s one thing to have standards, but it’s another to not retain the dignity of families and individuals.”
“I believe this is generally in the commission’s thinking about dignity for people. And how do we make it easier with a decent procedure and a dignified approach.”