Low annual limit for H-1B petitions affecting US employers: Study
The H-1B visa allocations are capped at 85,000 visas per year, with 20,000 of those set aside for workers holding advanced degrees from US institutions.
The low annual limit of 85,000 registrations for H-1B petitions is the main problem facing US employers trying to secure foreign talent, according to a new report about the skilled workers' visas, the most sought-after by Indian IT professionals.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
The report titled “H1B Petitions And Denial Rates In FY 2022' by National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a nonpartisan research organisation, said the low annual limit on H-1B petitions resulted in the vast majority of H-1B registrations not being selected.
H-1B denial rates have returned to low levels following the Trump administration’s losses in federal court during Donald Trump’s last year in office, meaning the low annual limit for H-1B petitions is currently the main problem facing employers trying to secure foreign-born talent, it said.
The H-1B visa allocations are capped at 85,000 visas per year, with 20,000 of those set aside for workers holding advanced degrees from US institutions.
The remaining 65,000 visas are awarded through a lottery system, making the competition for H-1B visas fierce.
In April 2022, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported employers submitted over 483,000 H-1B registrations, almost 400,000 more than the 85,000-annual limit for H-1B petitions.
H-1B visas allow skilled foreign workers to work and live in the US for up to six years in specialised fields such as technology, engineering, and medicine.
After six years, it opens up pathways to permanent residency or Green Card.
H-1B temporary visas are important because they generally represent the only practical way for a high-skilled foreign national, including an international student, to work long-term in the United States and have an opportunity to become an employment-based immigrant and a US citizen, the NFAP said in a statement on Thursday.
At US universities, more than 70 per cent of full-time graduates in electrical engineering and computer and information sciences are international students, it said.
“Despite the end of the Trump administration’s restrictive immigration policies that made US companies less competitive in the global battle for talent, companies in America still must deal with the low annual limit on H-1B petitions and employment-based green cards,” said Stuart Anderson, NFAP’s executive director.
“These and other policies encourage employers to send work and people outside the United States and make it difficult for many talented people to pursue their dreams in America.” A 2022 NFAP study found 55 per cent of America’s startup companies valued at USD 1 billion or more have at least one immigrant founder, illustrating the importance and contributions of immigrants to the US economy, it said.
The denial rate for new H-1B petitions for initial employment in FY 2022 was 2 per cent. The H-1B denial rate declined during the final year of the Trump administration after judges declared many of its H-1B-related actions unlawful, it said.
That forced a legal settlement and changes to restrictive immigration policies that resulted in the denial rate for new H-1B petitions for initial employment in FY 2021 dropping to 4 per cent, far lower than the denial rate of 24 per cent in FY 2018, 21 per cent in FY 2019 and 13 per cent in FY 2020.
During the Trump administration, the denial rate for H-1B petitions for initial employment was much higher at 13 per cent in FY 2017, 24 per cent in FY 2018, 21 per cent in FY 2019 and 13 per cent in FY 2020.
Amazon had the most approved H-1B petitions for initial employment in FY 2022, at 6,396. Amazon also had the most new H-1B petitions approved in FY 2021 and FY 2020. Infosys had the second most H-1B petitions in FY 2022 approved for initial employment at 3,151, which was approximately 2,000 fewer for the company than FY 2021.
Next was TCS with 2,725, also lower than the previous year, followed by Cognizant (2,521), Google (1,562), Meta/Facebook (1,546), HCL America (1,260) and IBM (1,239).
H-1B petitions are counted in the fiscal year they are approved, not in the cap year the H-1B visa holder begins to work.
According to USCIS data, the median annual salary for H-1B visa holders was USD 108,000 in FY 2021. In computer-related occupations in FY 2021, the median salary for H-1B visa holders was USD 111,000, and the average salary in computer-related occupations was USD 118,000, the report said.
Despite high-profile layoffs in the technology industry, the 85,000-annual limit on H-1B petitions (for FY 2024) will likely be filled when the registration period opens in March 2023. That is because the annual limit is low relative to the size of the US labour force and the demand for talent, the report said.
The 85,000 new H-1B petitions allowed each year for companies represent only 0.05 per cent of the approximately 165 million people in the US labour force. Beginning in FY 2004, the supply of H-1B petitions has been exhausted every fiscal year up to the present.
Analysts and technology watchers note that layoffs at tech firms need to be kept in perspective.
"Even with all of the layoffs announced in recent weeks, most tech companies are still vastly larger than they were three years ago,” reports Fortune.
Large and small tech companies went on a hiring spree over the past several years due to a surge in demand for their products, software and services with millions of people working remotely, the magazine explained.
Still, the layoffs have been difficult for US workers and H-1B visa holders, who often need to find another employer within 60 days to remain in H-1B status. About 79 per cent of workers recently hired after a tech-company layoff or termination landed their new job within three months of starting their search, according to a ZipRecruiter survey of new hires.
That was just below the 83 per cent share of all laid-off workers who were re-employed in the same time frame. Nearly four in 10 previously laid-off tech workers found jobs less than a month after they began searching, ZipRecruiter found in the survey.
“Despite the widespread layoffs, hiring freezes, and cost-cutting taking place in tech, many tech workers are finding reemployment remarkably quickly,” said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter. This NFAP analysis is based on data from the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub.
AN ASIAN Church of England bishop has used a sermon in northern England to appeal for racial harmony, urging his congregation to reclaim the country’s St George’s flag and the Christian faith from divisive forces.
Right Reverend Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall, was addressing a service on Wednesday (17) evening in east Leeds, near the Britannia Hotel – the site of regular protests against asylum seekers being housed there.
As the Church of England’s co-lead Bishop for Racial Justice, Arora also condemned the racially aggravated sexual assault on a Sikh woman in Oldbury, West Midlands, last week.
“The serious sexual assault of a young Sikh woman in the West Midlands last week is reported to have been accompanied by perpetrators telling her she should go back to her own country,” Bishop Arora said.
“Such incidents have followed weeks of hotel protests and flag-flying across the nation with barely concealed racist overtones. Sentiments that even five years ago would have been considered shameful are now being broadcast at public gatherings, accompanied by cheers and applause. Such sentiments have been accompanied by reckless voices of hate seeking to camouflage themselves in the language of patriotism and faith – all the while debasing both."
He appealed for people to “reclaim both the flag and the faith that is being desecrated by those who would use both to divide us as a nation”, lamenting the “rising toxic tide of racism – the sin of racism”, whose impact, he said, was being felt across the country.
“As followers of Christ our duty is clear: to challenge those whose lips drip with vituperation and hate, to refute division and to restore dignity in building the common good. To oppose the racist sin that refuses to recognise God in our neighbour, and instead to advocate a way of peace. To stand with those who fear this rising tension – with the Muslim, Sikh, Jew and Hindu,” the bishop said.
His sermon came just days after a massive anti-immigration protest, organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, turned violent over the weekend.
“Both in the face of those bleeding from the violence visited upon them and the screaming face contorted by hate, God calls us to love them equally and, where possible, for the church to be a bridge between them both,” he noted.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Arora has long been a member of the Church of England and was consecrated as Bishop of Kirkstall at York Minster Cathedral three years ago.
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Keir Starmer speaks at a press conference at Chequers, near Aylesbury, Britain, September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
A SECOND flight deporting a migrant from the UK to France took off on Friday (19), after he lost a legal challenge to stay his return, the Home Office said.
The deportee was believed to be an Eritrean man whose removal got the green light after he lost an 11th-hour legal challenge in the High Court on Thursday (18) night.
He had arrived on UK shores on a small boat in August, and asked to delay his deportation to be allowed to challenge it, arguing he was allegedly a victim of human trafficking.
But High Court judge Justice Sheldon said late Thursday there was "no serious issue to be tried in this case" and said there was "significant public interest in favour of this claimant's removal".
Lawyers acting on behalf of the man told the court he was scheduled to leave on a flight to France at 6.15am (5.15 GMT) on Friday.
The Home Office confirmed a second flight had taken off Friday, without giving any numbers or details.
But government minister Peter Kyle told ITV channel: "Today we have the second flight taking off with a migrant who doesn't have the right to stay here being returned."
The removal is a small victory for prime minister Keir Starmer, after the first returns under the UK-France "one-in, one-out" deal were stymied earlier this week by legal challenges.
A different Eritrean man had his removal temporarily blocked on Tuesday (16) by the High Court, which gave him 14 days to provide proof of his claims he was a victim of trafficking.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she "will continue to challenge any last-minute, vexatious attempts to frustrate a removal in the courts".
Kyle admitted the Labour government was "pushing the boundaries of the law."
"If we have to change the law, we will change the law," added Kyle.
The first migrant, an Indian man, was returned to France on Thursday under the new deal with France under which it can detain and deport irregular migrants deemed ineligible for asylum.
In return, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who can apply for a UK visa via an online platform under the pilot scheme which came into effect in August and will run until June 2026.
UK media reported that "hundreds" of migrants had set off from France early Friday, attempting to cross the Channel on small boats to the UK.
(Reuters)
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Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey
BAPS has welcomed the decision of the US Justice Department to close its investigation into alleged worker exploitation during the construction of its Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey.
The inquiry began in 2021 after a group of Indian workers filed a lawsuit in the District Court of New Jersey. They accused the organisation of human trafficking and wage violations, claiming they had been paid as little as $1 a day while building the vast temple complex.
The workers alleged they were confined to the site and forced to work long hours under difficult and, at times, unsafe conditions.
At the time, The New York Times reported that more than 200 Indian nationals had travelled to the US on religious ‘R-1’ visas from around 2018 to work on the project. The lawsuit said six men were among those subjected to gruelling hours and restricted freedom during construction.
The allegations led to strong criticism of BAPS, with questions raised about labour rights, immigration rules, and the treatment of religious workers in the US. The case drew international media attention and cast a shadow over what was meant to be a landmark project for the Hindu community in North America.
On Thursday (18), the Justice Department and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey confirmed that they had ended their investigation. No violations were established, bringing to a close a four-year period of scrutiny for the organisation.
BAPS North America welcomed the outcome, saying it reaffirmed its position that the temple was built through the devotion, voluntary service, and contributions of thousands of followers. The organisation acknowledged that the allegations had been a “challenging” moment but said it now moved forward with renewed strength and confidence.
It also described the Akshardham temple as a symbol of peace and service, and as a marker of the Hindu community’s growing presence in the US.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) also expressed relief at the closure of the investigation. It said the case had been used to target the broader Hindu faith and community, despite the allegations remaining unproven.
While welcoming the Justice Department’s decision, CoHNA argued that the community had suffered reputational harm and called for accountability from those who had, in its view, spread misinformation.
BAPS further noted that the Hindu community in America is still comparatively young but has established itself as an integral part of the nation’s religious landscape. The temple in Robbinsville, it said, now stands as an enduring example of faith, dedication, and cultural contribution.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey declined to comment on the decision.
BAPS said it hoped Akshardham would continue to be recognised not for controversy, but for its art, architecture, and the spirit of devotion and service it represents.
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has vowed that Britain will not allow people to feel unsafe “because of their background or the colour of their skin” after violent clashes erupted at one of the largest far-right rallies the country has ever seen.
Speaking last Sunday (14), a day after the “Unite the Kingdom” march led by activist Tommy Robinson, Starmer condemned the violence against police officers and rejected attempts to use national flags as symbols of division.
“People have a right to peaceful protest. It is core to our country’s values. But we will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin,” Starmer said on X. “Britain is a nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division”.
According to the Metropolitan Police, around 110,000 to 150,000 people gathered in central London for last Saturday’s (13) demonstration, with crowds waving English and Union flags and chanting anti-immigration slogans. Officers clashed with protesters on the fringes of the rally, leaving 26 police injured, four of them seriously, and leading to at least 24 arrests.
Police described facing “unacceptable violence”, including kicks, punches, bottles, flares and other projectiles. Assistant commissioner Matt Twist said investigations were under way and warned that “robust police action” would follow in the coming days and weeks.
Echoing the same sentiment, home secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs on Monday (15) that the violence was “abhorrent” and singled out US billionaire Elon Musk, who addressed the crowd by video link, for stoking unrest. “On Saturday, well over 100,000 protesters marched in London. In doing so, many exercised an ancient right, the right to peaceful protest. But not everyone did; some turned on the brave police officers who were there to keep the peace,” she said.
“Those violent thugs will face the full force of the law, but they do not represent who this country really is. When a foreign billionaire calls on our citizens to fight against our ancient democracy, I know this is met by the vast majority with a shake of the head. That is because we are, in truth, a tolerant country. And we are a diverse one too. You can be English with roots here that stretch back 1,000 years. But you can also be English and look like me.”
Protesters march through London waving national flags during the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally last Saturday (13)
She went on to echo Starmer’s defence of Britain’s national symbols. “The St George’s Cross and the Union Jack are symbols of unity and must never be hijacked by those seeking to spread division. Whether you are a hostile state or a hostile foreign billionaire, no one gets to mess with British democracy,” she said.
Mahmood, one of the most senior Muslim women in British politics, also delivered a personal message: “British citizens look like me. We are proud to be both British and part of this diverse heritage.”
Sunder Katwala, director of the thinktank British Future, said the size of the rally and Musk’s speech represented a dangerous escalation. “The scale of Saturday’s march will have sent a shudder of fear through many people from ethnic minority backgrounds and beyond. Tommy Robinson is a polarising and broadly unpopular figure among the public as a whole but the scale of turnout shows his increasing ability to mobilise a vocal minority who strongly believe that they speak for this country,” he told Eastern Eye.
“A large section of the crowd would not see a ‘Unite the Kingdom’ event as far right with its mix of themes of immigration, free speech, identity and culture. But the organisers had no qualms about platforming extreme content, including removing the freedom of religious expression.”
Katwala warned that the most alarming aspect of the rally was hearing one of the world’s wealthiest figures appear to endorse violence. He argued that Musk’s remarks went further than Enoch Powell’s controversial “Rivers of Blood” speech, which had predicted unrest to shape policy. In contrast, Musk’s call for pre-emptive confrontation, telling people to either fight or face death and erasure, risked placing asylum seekers, migrants, minority communities and even democratic leaders in danger.
He added that, after the riots of last summer, it was deeply irresponsible to give legitimacy to such rhetoric. According to him, Parliament should consider formally censuring Musk, with the government’s future use of his platforms, and even his right to enter the UK, depending on a retraction. He cautioned that calls for civil conflict must not be allowed to become accepted as part of normal political debate.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, told the rally that Britain’s courts had placed the rights of asylum seekers above those of the “local community”. Referring to a recent case in Essex where asylum seekers were allowed to be housed at a local hotel, he accused judges of betraying the British people.
“They told the world that Somalians, Afghans, Pakistanis, all of them, their rights supersede yours – the British public, the people that built this nation,” he declared.
Far-right activist Tommy Robinson attends the demonstration
Many demonstrators carried placards reading “send them home” and wore “Make America Great Again” hats, while others brought children to the rally. One supporter, Sandra Mitchell, said: “Today is the spark of a cultural revolution in Great Britain, this is our moment. We want our country back.”
Via video link, Musk went further, telling the crowd: “Violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.” He also called for the dissolution of parliament and the removal of the Labour government. Anti-racism groups expressed alarm at his intervention. Hope Not Hate described the event as “unprecedented” in scale and warned that speeches demanding “remigration” of legal migrants and banning non-Christian religions showed how extreme messages were being normalised.
The “Stand Up to Racism” counterprotest drew around 5,000 people. Teachers, activists and faith groups marched through nearby streets, holding placards calling for unity and chanting “refugees are welcome here”. One participant, teacher Ben Hetchin, said: “The idea of hate is dividing us and I think the more that we welcome people, the stronger we are as a country.”
Police kept the groups apart, but confrontations occurred when some Robinson supporters attempted to break through barriers.
The protest comes amid a record number of asylum claims in Britain, with more than 28,000 migrants crossing the Channel in small boats so far this year. Immigration has become the most dominant political issue, even surpassing concerns about the economy.
Supporters of the march claim the English and Union flags being displayed across towns represent pride in national identity. Anti-racism campaigners, however, argue that these flags are being used as a message of hostility towards foreigners. For the Labour government, Saturday’s rally is a warning of the challenges ahead. Starmer has pledged to strengthen laws against hate crimes while ensuring the right to peaceful protest.
Mahmood has promised tougher policing of violent disorder.
Anti-racism groups stage a counter-protest against the anti-immigration rall
But campaigners fear that mainstream politics is being destabilised by a mix of online radicalisation and the influence of powerful outsiders such as Musk.
For now, the Metropolitan Police continue their investigations. “Those who assaulted our officers or engaged in violence can expect to be identified and arrested,” Twist said.
The weekend’s events have left the country debating not only how to respond to far-right extremism, but also how to safeguard its democracy, diversity and sense of national unity in an increasingly tense political climate.
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks at a business reception at Lancaster House in central London. Jordan Pettitt/Pool via REUTERS
BRITAIN's borrowing has surged past the official forecasts that underpin the government's tax and spending plans, compounding the challenge facing chancellor Rachel Reeves in her November budget.
Public sector borrowing between April and August totalled £83.8 billion ($113.39), £11.4bn more than forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility earlier this year, official data published on Friday (19) showed.
The borrowing was the highest for the first five months of the financial year since 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic forced the government into huge spending to prop up the economy.
Even before Friday's figures, Reeves had been expected to announce fresh tax increases in her budget on November 26 to stay on track to meet her fiscal rules and avoid unsettling financial markets.
Sterling fell by almost half a cent against the US dollar after the ONS released the borrowing figures along with separate data that showed a stronger-than-expected increase in retail sales volumes in August.
In August alone, the government borrowed almost £18bn, the Office for National Statistics said, much higher than the OBR estimate of a £12.5bn overshoot.
A Reuters poll of economists showed a median forecast of a £12.75bn deficit in August.
"Last month’s borrowing was the highest August total since the pandemic," ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said. "Although overall tax and National Insurance receipts were noticeably up on last year, these increases were outstripped by higher spending on public services, benefits and debt interest."
The ONS said its estimates for borrowing in recent months had been revised higher by almost £6bn after updated data from the tax office showed value-added tax receipts were lower than initially thought.
Updated figures from local and devolved administrations also contributed to the revision.
Prior to Friday's data release, public sector borrowing had been tracking close to the OBR's forecast for the year to date.