Consortium of US IT Firms Opposes ‘Restrictive’ H1-B Visa Norms, Files Case Against US Immigration Agency

A Dallas- based IT advocacy group ITServe Alliance representing more than a 1,000 small IT companies has filed a lawsuit against the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for tightening the regulatory regime around H-1B Visa category.

The lawsuit especially focuses on the practice of issuing Visas for less than three years, Qz has reported.

The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year.

“Like every employer in the IT industry, ITServe members have difficulty hiring enough US workers to meet the demand. Our members seek H-lB visas to fill the gap between the supply and demand for IT professionals in these specialised fields,” ITServe president Gopi Kandukuri said in a statement.

“The USCIS has been making arbitrary rules and memos for over eight years, it's our top priority to set things right and hold USCIS accountable to follow the regulations set by the United States Congress," Kandukuri added

In July, ITServe filed a lawsuit against a rule change effected by USCIS which suddenly prohibited international STEM students undergoing extended optional practical training (OPT) from being placed on projects carried out at client sites.