Proposed H-1B visa bill: 10 things to know

1. The US gives 65,000 H-1B visas each year and an additional 20,000 more for foreign students in US.
2. The US Department of Homeland Security said that 70 per cent of the 65,000 H-1B visas in 2014 went to Indians.
3. About 3 lakh to 3.5 lakh Indian engineers are on H-1B visas in US , say industry estimates.
4. In 2016, till August, Indian workers had got 72 per cent of total H-1B visas issued worldwide.
5. During the same period, Indian workers also received 30 per cent of all L1 visas.
6. The big advantages of L1 is that there there is no cap on the number to be issued every year.
7. According to the proposed order, firms would have to try to hire American first. If they recruit foreign workers, priority would be given to the most highly paid.
8. The move, if it goes through, could change the way US tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon and Apple hire talent.
9. It would also force wholesale changes at Indian companies such as Infosys and Wipro.
10. A bill in the US House of Representatives calls for the minimum salary for an H-1B visa to be doubled, to around $130,000 per annum from the present $60,000.