Washington: More than 7,000 student and exchange visitors from India overstayed in the US in 2023, an expert from the Center for Immigration Studies told the US House Committee on the Judiciary.
During a hearing on “Restoring Immigration Enforcement in America" this week, Jessica M Vaughan also suggested several reforms in the country's immigration policies, including those related to H-1B visas.
“Four countries -- Brazil, China, Colombia, and India -- each had more than 2,000 of their citizens overstaying student/exchange visas in 2023, with India having the highest number (7,000),” Vaughan said, adding that visas for workers' speciality occupations (H-1B) should be limited to a period of two years with a possible extension to four years. She further said that there should be no automatic extension based on a Green Card petition.
Asserting that Congress should amend the law in several significant ways, she stated. “First, the concept of dual intent should not apply to student visa applicants; instead, each applicant should be required to demonstrate an intent and likelihood to return to their home country after their studies".
As many as 32 countries have student/exchange visitor overstay rates of higher than 20 per cent, she said, adding that the F and M visa categories have the highest overstay rates of any of the broad categories of temporary admission.
As for the H-1B visas, she said the total number should be limited to 75,000 or less, including the non-profit and research sector, which is currently unlimited. According to her, if the category is oversubscribed, then the visas should be awarded to the highest-paying employers, as a proxy for the highest-skilled workers.
