Romania is the 43rd country to join the programmme — and the fourth added under President Joe Biden — after Croatia, Israel and Qatar. The programme has led to a boost in tourists from these countries that are added because it makes it easier to come to the US. Reuters first reported in October 2021 that Romania was among several candidates under consideration to be added.
To participate in the program, a country must meet counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security, and border management requirements. The DHS will conduct a comprehensive assessment of Romania’s continued designation on US national security and law enforcement interests at least once every two years.
Also read | ‘H-1B visas vital for US talent gap despite political pushback’
The requirements include having a rate of non-immigrant visa refusals below 3%, issuing secure travel documents, and working closely with US law enforcement and counterterrorism authorities. US citizens can already travel to Romania and stay for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes without a visa.
Meanwhile, Indian-origin tech companies cornered 20% of all H-1B visas issued by the US with Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services leading the pack, an analysis of data from the US immigration department showed.
According to data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, in April-September 2024 period, out of the total 1.3 lakh H1B visas issued to different employers, about 24,766 visas were issued to Indian-origin companies.
Out of these, Infosys took the lead with 8,140 beneficiaries, followed by TCS (5,274), and HCL America (2,953). Infosys came second to only Amazon Com Services LLC, which topped with 9,265 visas. Cognizant, which was founded in Chennai but now has headquarters in New Jersey, ranked third in the list with 6,321 visas.
The H1B visa programme allows US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Indian companies have been significant beneficiaries of this programme, particularly in the technology sector.
Major Indian IT services firms such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Technologies have consistently ranked among the top employers for H1B visa holders. Wipro was lower down this time with 1,634 visa grants. Tech Mahindra stood close by, having been issued 1,199 visas.
