H-1B visa: A shock to Indians
US House of Representatives has introduced a legislation today, mandating that the minimum salary of H-1B visa holders be doubled to $130,000. This can be considered as a big blow to the IT professionals in India, who is aiming to go to the U.S. with H1B visa.
Speaking about it, Congressman Zoe Lofgren said, “The legislation offers a market-based solution that gives priority to those companies willing to pay the most. This ensures American employers have access to the talent they need, while removing incentives for companies to undercut American wages and outsource jobs.”
As calculated by a survey, the legislation called the High-Skilled Integrity and Fairness Act of 2017, prioritizes market-based allocation of visas to those companies willing to pay as much as 200% of a wage.
It also proposes to eliminate the “lowest pay” category. The current raised salary ($130000), is more than double the current H-1B minimum wage of $60,000, which was established in 1989 and has since remained unchanged.
"My legislation refocuses the H-1B programme to its original intent - to seek out and find the best and brightest from around the world, and to supplement the US workforce with talented, highly-paid, and highly-skilled workers who help create jobs here in America, not replace them," said Lofgren.
