IT companies get H-1B breather for local hiring

RELAXED NORMS SLASH ONBOARDING COSTS FOR CAMPUS RECRUITS

- URVI MALVANIA

THE LATEST ROUND of relaxations to the US H-1B visa programme is set to give Indian IT services firms more breathing room to hire locally from American universities, a strategy that has gained traction as companies seek to diversify their workforce and mitigate visa uncertainties.

The key change lies in the ability to convert certain existing visas to H-1B status for those already residing legally inthe US — and crucially, without attracting the steep $100,000 fee usually associated with fresh H-1B applications. This means that individuals already in the country, such as students graduating from US universities, can now apply for a change of status at a significantly lower cost.