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New US law on H-1B visa is bad news for Indian tech workers.

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4 years ago

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US President Donald Trump has suspended visas for highly-skilled workers until the end of this year.

The White House said the move would create jobs for Americans hurting economically due to the pandemic.But critics say the White House is exploiting the corona virus pandemic to tighten up immigration laws.

The H-1B visa is among several categories of visas that have been suspended and it is expected to particularly hurt Indian technology companies and workers.Reports say that Indians take up nearly 70% of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued every year.It is a non-immigrant visa that allows firms to employ foreigners for up to six years in positions for which they have been unable to find American employees.

It also allows holders to apply for permanent residency in the US and buy property in the country.The visa is useful for Indian tech giants like Wipro, Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as it allows them to send workers from India to manage important projects.

It also helps US tech giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter hire talent from India.

The ban announced by Mr Trump will only affect individuals who are planning to apply for the visa – which means those who have already got it and are working in the US will not be affected.However, H-1B visa holders who travelled to their home countries due to the pandemic will not be allowed to re-enter the US until the end of the year.

Most tech firms have criticised the move, saying it will hurt the US economy instead of saving it.Google boss Sundar Pichai, who was born in India, said he was disappointed with the order.”Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today’s proclamation – we’ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all,” he tweeted.

Jason Oxman, president and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council in the US, said the decision “stands to upend the ability of US employers to hire the men and women they need to strengthen their workforce”.”We urge President Trump to reconsider his actions and work with the business community on a plan that will actually bolster job growth and ensure economic security for all Americans,” he added.

The move has also been criticised in India.The Indian IT industry’s apex body Nasscom has said the decision was “misguided and harmful to the US economy.”

“We urge the administration to shorten the duration of these restrictions to 90 days. Lengthening these burdensome restrictions on US companies that are trying to recover from the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic will only serve to harm our economy.”The move has already had an adverse impact on the stock prices of Indian IT firms. Share prices of big IT firms like TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Infosys have seen sharp falls.

The Indian government is yet to react to the decision. It is likely to wait and watch at the moment as authorities are struggling with a worsening pandemic as well as border tensions with China.Delhi cannot afford a new rift with Washington. However, it may opt for backchannel talks to secure some relief for Indian workers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heavily invested in India-US ties and often talks about his personal friendship with Mr Trump.But given the unpredictability of the Trump administration, there are no guarantees that even this will yield results.

In such a scenario, India may choose to take retaliatory action.Major portions of India’s technology markets are dominated by American firms such as Google, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Apple, as well as consulting and services firms such as IBM and Accenture.Delhi can look at blocking visas for US employees of these firms, but such a decision will depend the government’s willingness to take the risk of antagonising the Trump administration.

The order also applies H-2B visas for seasonal workers, including those in the hospitality industry, except those in agriculture, the food processing industry and healthcare professionals.

The order will restrict J-1 short-term exchange visas, a category that includes university students and foreign au pairs who provide childcare. Professors and scholars are not included in the order. There will be a provision to request exemptions.

L visas for managers and other key employees of multinational corporations will also be suspended.

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Apple is giving a huge discount on its gadgets: Details inside

Published

3 years ago

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May 5, 2022

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If you want to buy an iPhone and were waiting for a nice offer, then we have a piece of good news for you! Amazon Summer Sale May 2022 has begun and they are offering major discounts on various smartphones, laptops, and smart TVs, among others.

The sale is live now on the e-commerce platform with no-cost EMI options and exchange discounts on various products. In addition to this, Amazon has also partnered with several banks including ICICI, Kotak Bank, and RBL so that customers get instant discounts of up to 10% using their cards and EMI transactions.

Customers can easily enjoy this summer sale and get massive discounts on iPhones. They can also compare prices on Flipkart Big Saving Days Sale 2022 before making a purchase.

 

Amazon Summer Sale May 2022: Discount offer on iPhone 13 

Apple’s coveted phone model iPhone 13 in the 128 GB storage model will be available during the Amazon Summer Sale May 2022 for Rs 64,900. The MRP of the phone is Rs 79,900. This means that the customers will be able to enjoy a discount of up to Rs 15,000 on the purchase of the iPhone 13.

If you have an old iPhone in working condition then you will also be eligible to receive another additional discount worth up to Rs 17,000 on the iPhone 13.

Buy at Rs. 64,900 (MRP – Rs. 79,900)

Features of Apple iPhone 13 

The iPhone is powered by an A15 Bionic processor with 6 core CPU. Apart from this, it has 16 core neural engines. With the iPhone 13, up to 512 GB of storage will be available. The iPhone 13 has a 6.1-inch Retina XDR display with 1000 nits brightness.

The iPhone 13 has a 12-megapixel dual rear camera setup. This time a new wide-angle camera has been given, whose aperture is f/1.6. With this, there is support for sensor optical stabilisation. Night mode has been made better than before. The second lens is also 12 megapixels ultra-wide and has an aperture of f/2.4.

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