Nepal among Top Five Countries to Receive US H-1B Visa. Image Source: CIO.com

Nepal among Top Five Countries to Receive US H-1B Visa

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) report, around 2,291 Nepali applicants received H-1B visa in the years between 2012 and May 2018. Nepal became the fifth largest foreign community to receive US H-1B Visa. The US-based colleges and universities enrolled a record 1.08 million international students by last year.

The H1-1B visa allows U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals to work in the U.S. when qualified Americans cannot be found. The H-1B visa holder can work only for the sponsoring employer or the visa will be revoked. It was created in 1990 when Congress expanded the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and is not a direct path to citizenship.

Six years ago, Nepali community was the 13th largest foreign community to get the employment visa to the United States of America.

India with 101,211 recipients’ stands is the largest foreign community to receive an H-1B visa, followed by China, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Another report published a few months ago by the US Department of Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs showcased that Nepali students were the fastest growing international student population studying at colleges and universities there. It said there was a 20% increase of Nepali students enrolled in the US higher education institutions in 2017, taking the size of total Nepali students to 11,607.

Though the enrolment data put Nepali students at 13th position, their growth was the highest among foreign students. With 12.3% increment, India had the second highest growth followed by Bangladesh, Spain, and China with 9.7%, 7.9%, and 6.8% growth respectively.

Record at Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Nepal shows that 2,485 students acquired No Objection Certificates to study in the US which is the fourth highest after India, Australia and Japan.

 

Reference: The Kathmandu Post