H-1B visa applicants being diverted to O visa: US Senator
WASHINGTON: A top American Senator on Wednesday alleged that potential H-1B applicants are being advised to apply for an O visa instead of the numerically capped H-1B visas intended for highly-skilled workers to bypass legal restrictions on employment visas.
While H-1B visa is for foreign guest workers with high skilled capabilities, O visa programme, is intended for use by those who have extraordinary abilities or a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement.
Unlike most other visa categories, the O visa program has no numeric cap.
Citing the Indian media reports, Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said claimed the number of O visas issued has tripled in the last decade.
The rise in numbers alongside these reports raise concerns about the future integrity of both visa programs, he said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
"Visas intended for exceptional individuals are not a substitute for H-1B visas. Any attempt to flout the extraordinary requirements of the O visa program because an applicant can't acquire an H-1B potentially constitutes visa fraud and ultimately damages both visa programs," Grassley said.
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