Washington/Agencies: The Trump administration announced a new rule to the H-1B programme that permits temporary visas for specialty occupations, saying it will be effective in attracting the finest talents to the United States (U.S.). The new rule has been designed to increase the number of H-1B beneficiaries holding advanced degrees from universities in the United States.

Streamlines application process

The final rule reverses the order by which US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) chooses H-1B petitions under the regular cap and the advanced degree exemption. For petitioners seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions, the new rule would also streamline the application process with a new electronic registration system.

"These simple and smart changes are a positive benefit for employers, the foreign workers they seek to employ, and the agency's adjudicators, helping the H-1B visa programme work better," Francis Cissna, USCIS Director.

However, USCIS said that the electronic registration requirement will be suspended for the fiscal year 2020 cap season, while the new rule is effective from April 1.

"These simple and smart changes are a positive benefit for employers, the foreign workers they seek to employ, and the agency's adjudicators, helping the H-1B visa programme work better," said USCIS Director Francis Cissna.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month said that he wants to introduce changes in the H-1B visa programme to allow holders of these visas to stay in the country longer, accelerating their path to citizenship.

What is H-1B visa

Popular among IT professionals from India, the H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that permits American companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Though H-1B is a temporary work visa it has a dual purpose. If the employer who sponsored it likes the employee, then they might petition for employer's green card during the H-1B work term, which makes them a US permanent resident.