Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who until a few days ago were co-leaders of President-elect Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) recently ruffled feathers amongst Trump’s MAGA supporters when Ramaswamy and Musk tweeted their support for the H1B program. In a surprising turn of events after having moved to limit H-1Bs during his first term, Trump responded by applauding the program, noting “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I've been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It's a great program.”
Read moreChanges Implemented at US Embassy and Consulates in India to Alleviate Visa Processing Backlogs
Following the Department of State’s (“DOS”) October 2022 update on its efforts to improve visa processing backlogs that resulted due to worldwide embassy closures throughout the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its commitment to lowering visa interview wait times , the United States Mission in India has expanded its services. Beginning January 21, 2023, the US Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates in Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata have opened consular operations on Saturdays to accommodate first-time visa applicants who require in-person visa interviews.
Read moreSojourners: “Policymakers Aim To Address 900,000-Person Green Card Backlog.”
The House of Representatives recently passed a measure that would end country-based caps to significantly increase the number of green card holders from certain nations. This proposal, now sent to the Senate, was one of several in Congress competing to address the backlog of more than 900,000 approved employment-based green card applications. Under the measures proposed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Fla) and by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), the visas would be awarded on a first-come first-served basis, many of which would go to Indian and Chinese nationals.
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