Tuesday, March 8 2005 11:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Ringing in the good news for Indian and other foreign students passing out from American universities with masters or higher degrees, 20,000 sought-after H1-B visas will be issued by the US till September this year (2005).

Under the new visa rules to be effective from today (Mar 8, 2005), foreign students having masters or higher degrees from the US universities can apply for the non-immigration visa that allow them to work in the country to help it maintain its competitive edge, immigration authorities said.

This fresh package of 20,000 visas are in addition to the annual cap of 65,000 H1-B visas and could benefit many Indian students in America looking for a job after finishing their masters, doctoral or post-doctoral studies.

However, US institutions employing such people needs to pay 'American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Fee' of $ 1,500 besides a new 'Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee' of $ 500.

The H-1B visa is valid for three years for the first time, and could be extended for another three years. During H-1B period, an immigration petition can be filed to apply for a permanent resident visa, the green card.

Extension, renewal or transferring of the exist H1B visas does not count towards the cap. The sponsorship of a US employer is mandatory for applying for H1B visa.

In the past years, the cap of 65,000 was reached by April or May and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped accepting new H1-B applications.