Indians received more than 75 percent of H-1B petitions approved in FY 2017

USCIS report says Indian nationals received nearly 63 percent of new H-1B approved and 80 percent of H-1B extensions.

Indian nationals received more than 75 percent of all H-1B petitions approved by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services in the fiscal year 2017, a report submitted by the agency to two congressional committees has revealed.

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“Of the H-1B petitions approved in FY 2017, 75.6 percent reported that the beneficiary was born in India,” the report said. “The second most prevalent country of birth of H-1B beneficiaries was the People’s Republic of China, representing 9.4 percent of all beneficiaries.”

Prepared by Acting Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs David Wonnenberg, the report, titled “Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers,” was submitted to chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and the House judiciary committees on April 10.

According to the report, out of 365,682 H-1B petitions approved by the USCIS in the fiscal year 2017, 276,423 accounted for Indian nationals. The data include both initial employment and continuing employment.

An H-1B visa is initially granted for three years, and it can be renewed for another three years. If the H-1B visa holder is in the process of acquiring a green card, the USCIS extends the visa status beyond six years.

According to the report, of the 108,101 fresh employment petitions approved by the USCIS, 61,815 petitions were filed on behalf of Indian nationals. More than 80 percent of all H-1B approved for continuing employment went to Indian nationals, it said.

The US information technology industry continues to be a magnet for Indians, as 69.8% of H-1B visas approved by the USCIS were secured by IT professionals.

Interestingly, 43.51% of H-1B visas approved in 2017 were benefited by applicants in between 30-34 age group.

Other major revelations in the report include:

• The number of beneficiaries from India approved for initial employment decreased by 4.1 percent in 2017, while the number of beneficiaries approved for continuing employment increased by 12.5 percent in 2017, according to the report.
• The median salary of beneficiaries of approved petitions increased from $82,000 in 2016 to $85,000 in 2017.
• The number of H-1B petitions filed increased 1.24 percent from 398,718 in 2016 to 403,675 in 2017.
• The number of H-1B petitions approved increased 5.9 percent from 345,262 in 2016 to 365,682 in 2017.
• The number of H-1B petitions approved in 2017 for workers between the ages of 25 and 34 was 66.2 percent.
• The number of H-1B petitions approved in 2017 for workers with a bachelor’s degree was 45.2 percent. In addition, 44.5 percent of approved petitions were for workers with a master’s degree, 6.8 percent had a doctorate, and 3.3 percent were for workers with a professional degree.

The congressionally mandated report was submitted to Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Sen. Dianne  Feinstein, ranking  member of  the Senate Judiciary Committee; Rep. Robert  Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.

The American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 requires the USCIS to submit annual reports the countries of origin and occupations, and educational backgrounds of H-1B visa holders.

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