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1. Infosys Public Services on Wednesday announced its partnership with Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in Texas to modernise child welfare information system

2. The US government has decided to temporarily suspend premium processing of H1-B visas from April 3 this year 

3. The temporary suspension of premium H1-B visa processing by the US administration would delay their issue to the Indian IT firms too but is not a major impediment, cited Nasscom 
 

Despite the US administration temporarily suspending premium processing of H-1B visas, India's IT firm Infosys' US-based subsidiary Infosys Public Services on Wednesday bagged a contract with Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in Texas to modernise child welfare information system.

"DFPS provides vital resources in the community, working to protect the children, elderly, and differently abled of Texas while also ensuring that its children are properly cared for. Modernising the IMPACT system will enable caseworkers to be much more responsive to these clients, families, and the broader community through timely access to accurate data, deeper insights into information collected by caseworkers and greater collaboration with external partners such as law enforcement - thereby enabling and amplifying the DFPS staff with the power of technology to better serve the needs of Texans," Infosys Public Services president and chief executive officer Eric Paternoster said in a filing to the BSE on Wednesday.

H-1 B visas are widely used by Indian Information Technology (IT) companies to move their IT professionals from India to offshore projects in the US as hiring an American locals is expensive due to higher wages.

ALSO READ: H1-B visa delay to affect Indian IT firms: Nasscom 

The US said last week said it will temporarily suspend premium processing of H1-B visas from April 3 this year, which allowed some companies eliminating the option of shorter waiting period for the programme that helps highly skilled foreigners work at American firms, according to PTI report. 

Under the current system, companies submitting applications for H-1B visas for potential employees can pay an additional sum for expedited service, which is known as premium processing.

The temporary suspension could last up to six months, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Premium processing costs an additional $1,225 and ensures a response from the USCIS within 15 days or the fee is refunded. Processing of standard H-1B applications takes between three and six months.

The temporary suspension of premium H1-B visa processing by the US administration would delay their issue to the Indian IT firms too but is not a major impediment, IANS reported this week citing Nasscom as saying.

"The temporary suspension of premium H-1B processing will create some process delays for the companies - Indian and American -- but is not a significant impediment," said the National Association of Software Services and Companies (Nasscom) in a statement.

 

"Any change in the visa regime puts pressure on the Indian IT firms as they may result in their operational costs rising and shortage of skilled techies for the outsourcing industry," Nasscom said. 

"We will take up the issue with the US embassy in India to ensure the movement of our professionals is not hit by process issues," it added.

ALSO READ: Trump's new executive order to clamp down on H1B visas