H1B visas plummet 75% in 2002
Silicon Valley: The number of H1B visas that are normally issued to workers in the technology industry in the US dropped nearly 75 per cent from 2001 to 2002, a new department of homeland security (DHS) report said. The H1B visa programme, which allows foreigners to work in the US for up to six years, has enabled thousands of Indians to take up well-paying jobs in the country's high-tech sector, especially in Silicon Valley. The number of H1B visas for initial employment fell from 105,692 in 2001 to 27,199 in 2002, newspaper reports said.

The percentage of H1B visas issued to technical workers also declined from 52.5 per cent in 2001 to 26.3 per cent in 2002. The development comes at a time when the annual limit on the number of visas is set to be lowered from 1 October. Of late, the visa programme has attracted much criticism in view of the high unemployment rates in the US with the opponents arguing that US workers are losing jobs because companies are hiring less-expensive foreign workers.
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