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US Resumes H1-B Visa Processing After 5 Months:- After a gap of five months, the United States has resumed the processing of H1-B work visas. Following a huge rush of applications for H1-B popular among Indian IT professionals, the processing of visas was suspended five months ago.

In a major relief to Indian IT professionals on Tuesday, the US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) said that it has resumed fast processing of H1-B visas subject to the fiscal year 2018 cap that has been set at 65,000.

The premium processing also resumed for the annual 20,000 additional petitions that are set aside to hire workers with a US higher educational degree. “If the 15- calendar day processing time is not met, the agency will refund the petitioner’s premium processing service fee and continue with expedited processing of the application,” the USCIS said.

Previously, the USCIS also resumed premium processing H-1B petitions filed on behalf of physicians under the Conrad 30 waiver programme, as well as interested government agency waivers and for certain H-1B petitions that are not subject to the cap.

The H1-B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

A top official, earlier this month, had claimed that Indians were the largest beneficiaries of H1-B visa programme, after US President Donald Trump came to power. The grant of H1-B category visas for Indians, over the past nine months, increased by six per cent, the official said, adding that 70 per cent of the total visas issued under the scheme went to Indians.

SUPRAJA