The biggest update on H-1B visa, lakhs of Indians heaved a sigh of relief, know what is the whole matter:

News India Live, Digital Desk: For the last few days, there was an atmosphere of tremendous uneasiness and fear among millions of Indian professionals working in America and the youth dreaming of going there regarding a new fee for H-1B visa. There were reports that a huge fee of 10 to 20 thousand dollars (about Rs 8 to 16 lakh) may have to be paid for the visa. This news gave sleepless nights to thousands of people who were worried about their future in America.

But now, a big and relieving clarification has come from the US government on this matter, due to which millions of people have heaved a sigh of relief.

What was the fear?

The fear was that this new and very expensive fee would be imposed on all H-1B visa holders who want to extend their visa or change jobs from one company to another. If this were the case, companies would shy away from employing Indian professionals or extending their visas, as it would become a very expensive deal for them.

What explanation did the government give? (This is good news!)

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has now made it clear that this proposed huge fee Will not apply to existing H-1B visa holders Those who are just extending their visa or changing jobs.

Then what is this fee for?

This fee has actually been proposed as a “special option” for US companies. Let us understand it in simple language:

The US has a limited number of H-1B visas each year (lottery system). Sometimes companies need more foreign employees than this. According to this new proposal, if a company goes outside the lottery system, i.e. as per its need additional foreign workers If the company wants to hire a person directly, she will have to pay this “supplemental fee”.

This means that this fee is for those companies who want to hire someone over and above the fixed quota of H-1B visa. This will not apply to the normal visa process or extensions.

Why is this a big relief for Indians?

Most of the people working in America on H-1B visa are Indians. If this fee were imposed on extension and change of job, the careers of millions of Indian professionals would be at stake. But after this cleaning it has become clear that it will not have any impact on the normal process, which is a big relief.

However, it’s important to remember that this is still a proposal, part of a larger immigration bill. A final decision on this is yet to be taken.