Context: Recent data from Bloomberg and USCIS reveals that Indian professionals dominate the high-paid H-1B visa segment, with smaller U.S. firms playing a key role.
Relevance: GS 2 (International Relations)
Indian Dominance:
- 78% of H-1B applicants earning over $1M annually are Indian.
- Over 25% of these applicants are women.
Company Sponsorship:
- 65% of high-paid Indian applicants are sponsored by smaller U.S. companies.
- U.S.-based sponsors generally offer higher salaries than Indian-based firms.
H-1B Process:
- Annual lottery in April; employers submit petitions with salary and job details.
Data Summary:
- Out of ~1 lakh approved petitions (2021-2024), only 123 offered salaries above $1M; 96 were from India.
- Most high-paying petitions come from smaller firms.
