New US H-1B norms won't make much difference: Nasscom
Bengaluru: The United States' latest move on issuing H-1B visas to software engineers will not make much difference to Indian IT firms, apex industry body Nasscom said on Friday.
"The new measure will be an unnecessary and expensive burden that will not make much difference to our member firms, which are in the business of providing solutions to client companies," said the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) in a statement here.
In line with US President Donald Trump's "Buy American and Hire American" policy, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Thursday declared that the hiring firms have to prove that their employees working at a third-party worksite have specific and non-qualifying speculative agreements in specialty occupation.
The H-1B programme offers temporary US visas that allow firms to hire skilled overseas professionals working in areas with shortage of qualified American workers. Indians get most of the H1-B visas, although there are no national quotas for the facility nor is it specifically designed for Indians.
Of the 65,000 H-1B visas the USCIS issues for October 1-September 30 period every year, about 40,000 are bagged by Indian firms, mostly in the services sector. The top 10 global firms, including TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL and Tech Mahindra, corner about 20,000-25,000, with the remaining shared by mid-size and smaller Indian firms.
Under the new policy, the USCIS says the employers must provide contracts and itineraries for employees who will work at a third-party location.
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Fire breaks out in moving high-end car on Mumbai Coastal Road; doused
Mumbai (PTI): A fire broke out inside a moving Lamborghini car on the Coastal Road in Mumbai on Wednesday night, officials said. No injuries are reported in the incident which occurred at around 10:20 PM.
A fire brigade official said one fire engine was promptly dispatched to the spot. The blaze was doused in approximately 45 minutes. The information about the exact number of occupants in the car and the cause of the fire are not available immediately.
Business tycoon and car enthusiast Gautam Singhania shared a video of the affected car on his social media account. Another video shows flames in the cabin of the orange-coloured car with Gujarat registration number, and a man attempting to put them out.
