Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian-American judge rejects appeal against Trump's temporary H-1B visa ban

AN appeal by 169 Indian citizens against president Trump's temporary H-1B visa ban has faced a set back in a US court.

An Indian-American federal judge has rejected an appeal by Indians against the proclamation that barred foreign nationals on H-1B specialty occupation visa from entering the US till 2020-end.


US district judge Amit P Mehta of the district court of Columbia in his order on Wednesday(16) said that Indian citizens, who are now trapped abroad during trips to India when borders were closed, are unlikely to win their case contesting the travel ban proclamation of Trump.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The 169 Indian nationals in their lawsuit had sought an order directing the secretary of state and the US consulates to process, adjudicate, and render final decisions on Plaintiffs' DS-160 visa applications.

"Requiring such swift processing would be an exercise in futility when the complainant would remain ineligible to enter the country until January 1, 2021, at the earliest," Mehta said.

Such an order would risk diverting limited resources away from visa applicants who are eligible under an exception to the proclamation, and could create substantial confusion for visa recipients attempting to enter the country only to be denied at ports of entry, he said.

Mehta said that on the merits, the court has already determined that the Indian nationals who have filed the lawsuit and are stuck in India are unlikely to succeed on their ultra vires challenge to the proclamation, and are likely to succeed on their Administrative Procedure Act challenge that their suspension of processing their visas pursuant to the Proclamation is arbitrary and capricious.

The lawsuit was filed by Indian nationals who were recently residing in the US in lawful non-immigrant status under temporary labour petitions approved by the department of homeland security.

For various reasons, they travelled to India and now must receive visas to return to the US. Indian nationals on H-1B visas alleged that the US consular offices, acting under the direction of the secretary of homeland security and the secretary of state, has withheld the adjudication of their visa applications pursuant to the president's recently issued Presidential Proclamation 10052 (dated June 22, 2020).

It suspended the entry of foreign nationals within certain categories of non-immigrant visas. In his 11-page order, Judge Mehta noted that the visa hopefuls are likely to convince the court that the Trump administration must continue processing their visas despite the entry restrictions.

Attorneys for Indian nationals have filed a notice indicating their plans to appeal the ruling to the DC Circuit.

More For You

reeves-spring-statement

To prevent a budget deficit, Reeves has announced cuts to disability welfare payments and reductions in government departmental budgets, citing global economic uncertainty.

Government cuts growth forecast, announces public spending cuts

THE UK government reduced its 2025 growth forecast by half on Wednesday and announced spending cuts to manage public finances amid economic challenges.

The Spring Statement update comes as the Labour government, which won a landslide election in July, faces slow economic growth and rising borrowing costs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Slough Council writes off £382,000 in unpaid business rates

Two companies that owed the money had dissolved, while a third – which owed the largest amount – had gone into liquidation.

CRM

Slough Council writes off £382,000 in unpaid business rates

Nick Clark

AN ‘eyewatering’ £382,000 in unpaid business rates has been written off by Slough Borough Council with the agreement of council leaders – with one branding the sum ‘frightening’.

Leading councillors voted to approve the write off last Monday (17), after all attempts to collect the debt – owed by just three companies – had been ‘exhausted’. Councillor Wal Chahal, responsible for finance, said: “It’s an eyewatering number to be writing off, it’s just frightening.

Keep ReadingShow less
man-city-getty

Last year, Manchester City and Techno India Group launched the first Manchester City Football School in India, based in Kolkata. (Representational image: Getty)

Manchester City signs MoU to open sports school in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

MAMATA BANERJEE, chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, has announced that Manchester City has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a sports school in the state.

The Premier League club, which has won the league title for four consecutive seasons, is expanding its football education initiatives in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
IMF Finalizes £1 Billion Loan Agreement for Pakistan

The IMF said in a statement on Tuesday that the 28-month agreement aims to support Pakistan’s efforts in tackling climate change. (Photo: Reuters)

REUTERS

IMF announces agreement on £1 bn loan deal for Pakistan

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached an agreement with Pakistan on a new £1 billion loan programme and reviewed an existing bailout, which could unlock an additional £770 million if approved.

The IMF said in a statement on Tuesday that the 28-month agreement aims to support Pakistan’s efforts in tackling climate change.

Keep ReadingShow less