MUMBAI: Of the total 4.41 lakh H-1B applications that were approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the fiscal year 2022 (year ending September 30,2022), 3.20 lakh or 72.6% were allotted to those who were India-born (Indians).
The second most common country of birth was China, with a comparatively meagre statistic of 55,038 (12.5% of the total). Canada with 4,235 successful applicants (1%) of the total, stood third in ranking. This statistic of 4.41 lakh includes approval of H-1B visas for initial employment and also for continued employment (aka visa extensions).
The H-1B visas can be allotted for a maximum of six years. If the beneficiary (individual who is sponsored by the American employer) is on track for a green card, periodical extensions are permitted.
According to the report - Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers -2022, released by USCIS, the number of H-1B applications that were approved increased by 8.6% in fiscal 2022.
In the previous fiscal year, 3.01 lakh Indians had successfully obtained H-1B visas, which was 74.1% of the total visas approved in 2021. In contrast, 50,328 Chinese (constituting 12.4% of the total approvals) had obtained H-1B visas. In short, over the years, Indians have continued to bag more than 70% of the H-1B visas issued by USCIS.
The H-1B visa is a popular work visa, especially among Indian technology professionals. The total number of H-1B applications approved in FY 2022 for workers in computer-related occupations was 2.91 lakh or 66% of the total approved applications. The median compensation of beneficiaries with approved petitions increased by 9.3%, from $108,000 in the fiscal year 2021 to $118,000 in the fiscal year 2022.
The H-1B visa applications for‘initial employment' are filed for first-time employment in the US. Nearly 1.32 lakh applications for initial employment were approved in fiscal 2022, as against 1.23 lakh in the previous fiscal.
Late 2022 and the first few months of 2023 have seen a series of lay-offs, which would be reflected in next year’s report.
It should be noted that while there is an annual quota of 85,000 for H-1B visa allotments, some categories of employers such as those engaged in higher education are exempt from the cap, resulting in the higher figure of approval of H-1B visas for new jobs.
During the fiscal year 2022, nearly 77,673 India-born individuals obtained an H-1B visa for new employment (which is 58.7% of the total). The statistic for China-born is 18,911 (or 14,3% of the total). During the fiscal year 2021, Indians had bagged 75,858 (61.5%) of the visas for initial employment. Chinese had obtained 15.2% of such visas. International students continued to be a significant chunk of those who successfully made a transition from F-l to H-1B visas.
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