IBM, TCS visa issues resolved
By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 14 June 2011, 23:45 IST   |    1 Comments
Printer Print Email Email
IBM, TCS visa issues resolved
Bangalore: After the suspension in 2010, recently U.S embassy has allowed IBM and TCS to participate in the Business Executive Program (BEP) which allows them to expedite temporary work visas for their employees, reports Business Standard. BEP is basically designed to facilitate frequent and legitimate business travel to the U.S. and the Government of U.S welcomes the trade between India and U.S. TCS spokesperson said that in 2010, due to one incorrect filing of a visa application under the BEP programme, the company was suspended for three months and was not allowed to participate in the programme. But after verification, it was determined that it indeed was a human error and the company was reinstated in the programme immediately. An IBM India spokesperson said that the company is committed to the highest ethical standards and in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations in the conduct of its business, including meeting the expected high levels of compliance of the BEP programme. However HCL technologies, Cognizant and Accenture declined to comment on the matter. While visa fraud issues are being highlighted on a regular basis, the actual number of H1-B visa applications has been falling. A report says that H-1B enrollments have dropped 50 percent over the same time last year, and by 80 percent since 2009. Cyrus D Mehta, Founder and Managing Attorney of Cyrus D Mehta and Associates, a New York Law firm, said "Some potential H-1B workers have noted that the cost of living is significantly lower in their home countries and they can be close to their family and parents. Moreover, another disincentive is that it is more difficult to obtain an H-1B visa approval due to increased scrutiny, and even after an H-1B visa is approved, there are severe delays in visa processing at the U.S consulates in India. Critics of the programme in the Congress and elsewhere have also contributed to an overall negative climate for hiring H-1Bs."

siliconindia