On Monday, the US government decided to resume the faster processing of H-1B US visas, often requested by the likes of governmental research and non-profit organizations, as well as higher education institutions. But, the longer approval period for businesses that use the US visa will remain in place.
In last year’s election campaign, President Donald Trump promised to crack down on immigrants who he claimed were taking American jobs and in April 2017, he signed an executive order calling for a review of the H-1B US visa program. The US visas enable foreigners who are in possession of particular skills to temporarily work in the US. American firms often use the US visas to employ graduate level workers in specialized industries, such as medicine, mathematics, engineering, and information technology. The visas are particularly heavily used in the technology sector.
On 3 April, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended premium processing of the H-1B US visas for up to six months. The expedited procedure allows eligible applicants to be given US visa approvals in just 15 days, while the regular review period can take several months.
H-1B US visas are currently capped at 65,000 per annum, with a further 20,000 available for immigrants who possess advanced college degrees, earned while studying in the US. USCIS says that while the suspension remains, some applications from research and educational establishments will again be treated with premium processing.