The Hindu Business Line : L-1 visa abuse

THE Indian IT firms that have been accused of violating US L-1 visa programme by labour organisations have refuted the allegations and reaffiremed their full compliance with the regulations.

Commenting on the allegations, the Chief Executive Officer of Infosys Technologies, Mr Nandan Nilekani, in a statement said, "L-1 visa regulations stipulate that only employees with specialised knowledge or holding managerial/executive positions can file an application. Infosys adheres to this regulation and more importantly does not differentiate between H-1 and L-1 pay scales, although it is not legally mandated. We are primarily an H-1 dependent company with 65-70 per cent of our employees in the US holding H1-B visas. Most of our employees stay in the US for the duration of the project, which is typically one to two years and return to the home country," Mr Nilekani added.

A Wipro spokesperson said, "We have read about the alleged violation of visas by certain Indian companies. We are in total compliance with requirements of the laws relating to visas. Hence, the question of abuse of any type does not arise"

"We have broken no US laws," said a TCS spokesperson.

Our Mumbai Bureau adds: According to a senior official from the Information Technology Association of America, the hearings on alleged L-1 visa abuse by Indian software companies are being held before the US Congressional Committee.

Even assuming the Committee concludes that L-1 visas were improperly used by the Indian companies, there may be no immediate impact in terms of legislative changes, he said.

The legislative changes affecting the status of L-1 visas will be put through only if the Judiciary or Appropriations Committee of the US House of Representatives chooses to act on it.

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