As per certain fresh reports, the figure of the sanctioned L-1 work permit submissions headed north from its climax of 52,218 in the 2007 fiscal year to 33,301 in the 2011 fiscal. In this connection, a new report from the concerned American organization has alleged that since 2007 the same has head north every year.

Several Indian firms have grumbled that, over the past couple of years, the figure of the refusals of the L-1 submissions had swelled considerably even while the overall figures presently hint precisely the same. In the backdrop of its alleged high rate of joblessness, besides the widespread public hue and cry against immigration, the US was evidently tightening its permit issuances.

Despite all this, Indian organizations have been the most notable users of the said permits. During 2011, Indians gained 81% or 26,919 of the total approved L-1 permits. Firms from Britain, Canada, Mexico, & Japan followed. From the FY 2003 to the FY 2010, the said 5 nations were responsible for as much as 75.7% of the L-1 admissions into the country.

For those nut tuned in, the L-1 is a non-immigrant permit even as it makes possible provisional transfer of overseas employees in executive, administrative or in the specialized knowledge class to the US. Usually, this visa is employed for an intra-firm transfer — to the parent firm or its associates. With 25,908 L-1 visas from 2002 to 2011, the well-known Indian company TCS was the topmost L-1 recruiter. Cognizant and IBM India followed it with 19,719 & 5,722 visas in that order.

Allegedly, the decline in issuances was partially thanks to the fact that there was no consistency whatsoever in the manner the concerned immigration authorities construed the term, ‘specialized knowledge’.