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Hike in H1B, L category visa fee to stay, says US
With demand in H1B and L category of visas showing no signs of fall, the US indicated on Monday that it wouldn’t slash the fee hike on these categories of visas.
With demand in H1B and L category of visas showing no signs of fall, the US indicated on Monday that it wouldn’t slash the fee hike on these categories of visas.
“There is no drop in demand in these visa categories… The hike in visa fee was a congressional decision,” US assistant secretary of state for consular affairs Michele Bond said.
Bond was in New Delhi for the annual India-US consular dialogue, which brings all visa-related issues for discussion.
The Indians get around 70% of all the H1B visa issued globally.
“Between October 2013 and September 1, 2015, one lakh Indians got H1B visa. This visa category is overwhelmingly Indian,” the highest-ranking US official dealing with visa issues said.
“As many as 30% of all L visas issued by the US government are granted to the citizens of India.” Last year, the US Congress imposed a special fee of up to $4,500 on H-1B and L-1 visas —availed by Indian IT companies— to fund a 9/11 Healthcare Act and biometric tracking system, which the Indian government had termed “discriminatory”.
