However, Nasscom welcomed ‘the Biden Administration’s recognition of the substantial gap in supply and demand for skilled workers’
The United States’ new proposed Rule to “modernise H1-B requirements” could align with new visa norms to boost STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) hiring within the country, warned Indian tech industry’s apex body Nasscom on Thursday.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security proposed “Rule Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Programme Improvements Affecting Other Non-immigrant Workers” on October 23.
Nasscom said it would submit its comments after thoroughly assessing industry requirements within the 60-day comment period for the proposed Rule.
According to Nasscom, at first blush, sections of the proposed Rule align with the former administration’s unsuccessful attempts to limit the H-1B programme in a manner that raises concerns for the IT industry. For example, the proposed tightening of the definition and requirements for H-1B “specialty occupations”, which narrows the scope of applicants who qualify for an H-1B visa and “ignores the nature of our modern workforce, not found in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA),” Nasscom’s statement mentions.
The industry body further said, this and other hurdles in the proposed Rule would create difficulties for companies attempting to hire the necessary workers to fill key, and currently unfilled, jobs across STEM fields.
Nasscom added that it “hopes that the government will align the proposed Rule with its overall goal to boost the U.S. economy by meeting U.S. employers’ STEM hiring needs‘. While it also welcomed several changes in the Rule that reaffirm the Biden Administration’s recognition of the substantial gap in supply and demand for skilled workers.
“As always, we seek to partner with the U.S. government in ensuring a modern, flexible workforce that fills existing needs and allows the U.S. economy to grow and change with the times,” the statement mentioned