An overview of a specialty occupation.

                

           TheH1B status is for foreign workers who will hold specialty occupations. A specialty occupation is one which "requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge to fully perform the occupation AND which requires the attainment of a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific specialty as a minimum for entry into the occupation in the United states." Thus, there are two requirements: First, the employer must demonstrate a need for someone in a specialty occupation as the minimum capability to perform the job; and second, the foreign national must have the required degree, or its equivalent, in a subject closely related to the position. Under the regulations, the need for a person in a specialty occupation can be shown by one of the following:

a) A bachelor's or higher degree is normally the minimum requirement for entry into the particular position;

b) The degree requirement is common in the industry in parallel positions among similar organizations, or the position is so complex or unique that only an individual with a degree can perform it;

c) The employer normally requires the degree for the position; or

d) The nature of the duties is so specialized and complex that knowledge required to perform them is usually obtained through a bachelor's level or higher education.

            Certain occupations have no trouble meeting this definition since specialty occupations are deemed to include "professions." The term "profession" shall include but not be limited to architects, engineers, lawyers, physicians, surgeons and teachers in elementary or secondary schools, colleges, academies or seminaries. These occupations would easily qualify for H-1B status. Additionally, the CIS now recognizes computer systems analyst, computer engineers, and certain management positions as specialty occupations.

Do you really need a foreign education consultant?

                If you are aspiring for higher education abroad, If you are not going to let the borders step in between you and your dreams. Then these questions have crossed your mind at least once. Do I really need a foreign education consultant? And what exactly they do? We are going to answer both questions briefly.

                First, you don’t really NEED a foreign education consultant but having one can save you from a lot of hassles, provided that he is genuine and well known. With foreign education reaching all times high there are many fraud consultants looking for preys, beware, getting such foreign consultant can get you in many legal  troubles. But a well-known and reputed consultant can provide you with the expert guidance, they play a crucial role in the whole process by helping you in,

·         Choosing the right university/destination.

·         Choosing the course.

·         Basic information about “each & every” university.

·         Getting hold of “valuable” scholarships.

·         The highly complex Visa process.

·         Transition to the foreign culture.

                A good foreign education consultant will not only help you accomplish your dream but also see to it that it heads in the right direction.   

                 About the author - PROVE (Professional Registry Of Verified Employees) is a new labor oriented service promoted by National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals (NOSTOPS). PROVE the open registry helps fill in the gap information that the Indian Knowledge worker heading abroad face when it comes to knowing their Rights, with Employment verification and agreement, and Visa policy updates.

Who can work in the United States?

          The United States welcomes thousands of foreign workers in multiple occupations or employment categories every year. All foreign workers must get an official permission to work legally in the United States. Each employment category for admission has different requirements, conditions and authorized periods of stay. It is crucial that you stick to the terms of your application or petition for admission and visa. Any violation can result in removal or denial of re-entry into the United States.

Temporary (Non-immigrant) Worker.

         Temporary worker is an individual seeking to enter the United States temporarily for a specific purpose. Nonimmigrants enter the United States for a temporary period of time, and once in the United States, are restricted to the activity or reason for which their nonimmigrant visa was issued.

Permanent (Immigrant) Worker.

          A permanent worker is an individual who is authorized to live and work permanently in the United States.

Students and Exchange Visitors.

          Students and exchange visitors may, under certain circumstances, be allowed to work in the United States. They must obtain permission from an authorized official at their school. The authorized official is known as a Designed School Official (DSO) for students and the Responsible Officer (RO) for exchange visitors.

Temporary Visitors for Business.

           To visit the United States for business purposes you will need to obtain a visa as a temporary visitor for business (B-1 visa), unless you qualify for admission without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. For more information on the topics above, select the category related to your situation to the left.

            About the author - PROVE (Professional Registry Of Verified Employees) is a new labor oriented service promoted by National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals (NOSTOPS). PROVE the open registry helps fill in the gap information that the Indian Knowledge worker heading abroad face when it comes to knowing their Rights, with Employment verification and agreement, and Visa policy updates.

Foreign doctors might not get an Australian work visa anymore.

     

       

 Australia’s health department today favored the imposing a ban on all trained doctors from other countries, from applying for a work visa. The visa policy updates has been made to end the shortage of locally trained medicos. A move which is likely to hit Indian doctors working in the country, which makes up a significant amount of overseas doctors in Australia.

                According to the media reports senior members of Australian Medical community had asked the federal government to stop issuing workvisas to overseas trained doctors, as the skill shortage in regional areas were not being addressed by the current migration programme. Department of health which shared the same concern has now made a formal submission for the amendment of the immigration rules.

                The department said that if the amendments were not made, locally trained doctors would struggle even more to find a job in the future. It has suggested 41 health roles including general practitioners, resident medical officers, surgeons and anesthetics to be removed from the skilled occupation list. A procedure that defines what occupations will be benefited by the skilled migration.

                Indians became the largest source of permanent migration to Australia forming 15.7 per cent of the total migration programme in 2011-12. Australia's Indian-born population also recorded the fastest growth in the country in 2008-2009, increasing by 44,012 accounting for 17 per cent of population.

                About the author - PROVE (Professional Registry Of Verified Employees) is a new labor oriented service promoted by National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals (NOSTOPS), to help fill in the gap information that the Indian Knowledge worker heading abroad face when it comes to knowing their Rights. 

Will studies get cheaper after the Brexit?

           

 A lot of people are wondering whether studies in the UK are going to be cheaper or more expensive following the all the Brexit events.

             The impact on the economy and the pound is already noticeable, with the pound showing the initial signs of recovery after the initial down fall. According to a higher education expert– EU public diplomacy and outreach in India and in the SAARC, ‘This will affect Indian students in many ways. Studying in UK was never this inexpensive. The fee will reduce and this means that more students can now dream of studying in the UK.’ The new UK visapolicy updates, also lets the student to extend their stay to six months after their academic course is complete.

             However, students need to be a little cautious. Rahul Choudaha, CEO of DrEducation, a US-based global higher education research firm, says, “In the immediate short-term, direct cost of studying in the UK will be declining due to currency devaluation. However, uncertain prospects for finding work opportunities will make it (difficult for students to) recover direct cost and hence overall cost of study in the UK will still increase.” Visa issues can be resolved if the UK government brings in a separate visa policy for Indians and other international students of Commonwealth nations.

             According to Carly Minsky, student content editor, Time Higher Education, UK, “For international students outside the EU who are already required to pay international rates, tuition fees will not be directly affected by Brexit, although there are various factors which could affect the cost. If the pound remains weak against students’ home currency, these students ultimately will find themselves better off when they pay tuition in sterling. However, if universities suffer financially after Brexit, whether due to a lack of EU funding or fewer EU citizens deciding to study at UK universities, they may decide to increase fees for international students to make up for the deficit.”

               About the author - PROVE (Professional Registry Of Verified Employees) is a new labor oriented service promoted by National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals (NOSTOPS), to help fill in the gap information that the Indian Knowledge worker heading abroad face when it comes to knowing their Rights. 

New UK visa pilot allows students extend their stay to six months.

         

   A new pilot project has been started at three well known British universities that allows the Indian and other non-EU students a little extra time to find employment after their education ends. It has received a cautious welcome, as it does not address the real issue.

            The Home Office introduced these visa policy updates in July for academic years starting September 2016 and September 2017, under which non-European Union students will be able to remain in Britain for six months after their course ends.

            This pilot is applicable for the postgraduate students at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bath, and the Imperial College. The closure of the two-year post-study work visa in 2012 was considered one of the key reasons for a sharp drop in the number of Indian students coming to British universities in recent years. Self-financing students used the work visa to recover some of the academic expenses.

Under the current rules, non-EU students are allowed a two-month stay after the course ends; the pilot extends this duration to six months. Official sources said the pilot also seeks to streamline the student visa process for all the non-EU students.

            Employers seeking to hire a non-EU student need to pass a “Resident Labor Market” test, under which they need to demonstrate that, there is no one in Britain or the EU who could do the job advertised. The test makes it extremely difficult and costly for employers to take on international students, and these things are the crux of the issue, not necessarily the time element. Regardless it’s a welcome move, but the actual impact on international student employment rate remains to be seen. Several higher education stakeholders, including universities, have lobbied unsuccessfully with the government to restore the post-study work visa.

          About the author - PROVE (Professional Registry Of Verified Employees) is a new labor oriented service promoted by National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals (NOSTOPS), to help fill in the gap information that the Indian Knowledge worker heading abroad face when it comes to knowing their Rights.

Problems our Indian working class faces while going abroad.

India receives the highest amount of remittances in the world, it received US $66.30 billion in the year 2014-15. It is one of the main reasons that India could survive the recession that saw many big economies collapse. The biggest share we receive is from the Gulf countries, where the majority of the remittance comes from the low skilled or unskilled labor workers. Despite their invaluable contributions to our country, many Indian migrant workers continue to face exploitative working conditions, forced labor, non-payment of wages and other forms of human rights abuse that sometimes plunge them into slavery-like conditions. Let’s take a look at the hassles our working class employees faces,

- Deception by visa brokers and recruiting agents:

         They are victims of various forms of deception and trickery at the recruitment stage. These include excess charges for visas and other travel documents, processing of fake travel documents without informing the workers of their illegitimate status, recruitment for non-existent jobs, misrepresenting the job and working conditions, providing falsely inflated loans that lead to situations of bonded labor. We have heard countless stories of migrant workers landing in the wrong country and being stranded there, being jailed for having the wrong documents, finding their salary or work conditions are not what they were promised. This is compounded by:

- Lack of awareness of pre-departure training:

         Lack of authentic and timely information relating to overseas employment, recruitment agencies and immigration procedures makes workers dependent on intermediaries and vulnerable to exploitation. And,

- Lack of access to remedies:

         The power differential between workers and recruiting agents makes it difficult for workers who face abuse to secure justice. Enforcement mechanisms are not strong enough and complaints registered rarely lead to convictions.

          These are some of the major problems that are faced by the working class employees while they are going abroad.

New changes in the Ireland’s employment process.

     

  Several changes have been made in the Ireland’s employment process, benefitting the people looking to pursue a job in Ireland. Apart from making the process online, immediate changes are made to the Highly Skilled Eligible Occupations List (HSEOL) and the Ineligible Categories of Employment List (ICEL) allowing Irish sponsoring companies to employ more foreign nationals. Further, the requirements for Trainees under Intra-Company Transfers have also been relaxed. So,

What are the Changes?

Employment Permits Online System (EPOS) moves forward.

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation (DJEI) announced last week that it will be assisting employers by making the Employment Permits process easier and faster for their foreign workers. In September, the DJEI will roll out its new Employment Permits Online System (EPOS), which will provide intuitive online application completion and filing, document submission, and fee payment for Employment Permits in Ireland. This much-anticipated improvement should result in a more convenient process with a faster turn-around time for applicants.

Relaxed Requirement for ICT Trainees

In the final noteworthy part of last week’s announcement, the DJEI reduced the minimum employment period for Trainees under the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) Permit scheme from six months to one month. Now foreign national trainees only employed with their foreign employer for one month are eligible for assignments at the company’s branch or affiliate in Ireland. These changes to the HSEOL and ICEL lists and to the ICT trainee regulations are effective immediately, and the details will be incorporated into the new EPOS online application process and the accompanying amended forms due out in early September.

Additions to occupation lists.

Also to support employers experiencing labour shortages, the DJEI has made immediate additions to the HSEOL list, which determines whether an applicant holds an occupation eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit. The DJEI also made adjustments to the ICEL list of occupations ineligible for employment permits.

The following occupations have been added to the HSEO

·         Paramedics

·         Respiratory physiologists

·         Tax consultants specializing in non-EEA taxes

·         Accountants working in the multinational corporation (MNC) global audit services.          

        These changes are extremely positive and are welcomed by the international community of overseas workers.