With Joe Biden steering a blue wave of change in the USA, the domino effect has been clearly visible on the Indian I-T space, as hiring has picked up for skilled manpower in the West. I-T consultants in the city are on a hiring spree following the brakes applied on the recent modifications introduced by the Trump administration to H1-B visa rules.
There are huge requirements that have come for the past one month, says PR Vignesh Raja, an I-T consultant at the Chennai-based Fusion Global Solutions Pvt Ltd. He adds that he is getting ‘positive vibes’ about simplifying the visa process. “Many of those whose H1-B visas expired and could not be renewed will now opt for it. You will see a spike in visa applications now,” claims Raja.
The Biden administration has also been espousing for racial equality. The latest development brings to an end to years of effort by the Trump administration to rescind an Obama-era regulation that allowed a certain subset of spouses of H1-B visa holders to work in the US. Data from the US government shows that Indians had filed 74 per cent of all H1-B petitions in fiscal year 2019. Raja is positive that the cap on these visas will now be increased.
Manoj, who works for Baltimore’s health and strategic welfare firm, says that the move would prove beneficial for many like him. He had returned home to Madurai for his wedding and is now trying to go back to the State with his wife. “I am now on an F-1 visa and would be applying for H1-B in March. It all depends on the lottery system and the visa cap,” he says.