The United States government is planning to modernize H-1B visa rules by streamlining eligibility requirements, improving programme efficiency, providing greater benefits and flexibility for employers and workers, and strengthening integrity measures.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), reports said on Thursday.
According to the reports, the proposed rule will change how USCIS conducts the H-1B registration selection process to reduce the possibility of misuse and fraud.
“DHS continues to develop and implement regulations that increase efficiency and improve processes for employers and workers navigating the immigration system,” Alejandro N Mayorkas, Secretary, Homeland Security said.
“The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration’s priority is to attract global talent, reduce undue burdens on employers, and prevent fraud and abuse in the immigration system,” the official said.
US’s H-1B programme helps employers hire people to meet their business needs and remain competitive in the global marketplace.
H-1B non-immigrant visa programme allows employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. These are defined by statute as occupations that require highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s or higher degree.
The new proposal says an individual who has a registration submitted on his behalf will be entered into the selection process once, regardless of the number of registrations submitted on his behalf.
This will improve the chances that a legitimate registration would be selected by significantly reducing or eliminating the advantage of submitting multiple registrations for the same beneficiary.
With these changes, the misuse and fraud in the H-1B registration process will be reduced, the reports said.
DHS will also extend certain flexibilities for students with F-1 visas when they will seek to change their status to H-1B, they added.