Market research analyst now speciality job for H-1B visa

Washington, October 29

In a major victory for employers, a US court has approved a settlement under which an American immigration agency has agreed to recognise market research analyst as a speciality occupation for the purposes of determining the applications of H-1B visas, most sought-after by Indian IT professionals.

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

Based on its prior interpretation of the Occupational Outlook Handbook, a Department of Labour’s Bureau of Labour Statistics publication profiling hundreds of occupations in the US job market, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determined that market research analysts did not qualify as a “specialty occupation”. Leslie K Dellon, senior attorney (business immigration) at the American Immigration Council, said this settlement was an important victory that would benefit hundreds of American businesses and the market research analysts they sought to employ.

“The settlement gives US businesses another chance to have their H-1B market research analyst petitions approved, this time under new guidance worked out by the parties to the lawsuit. — PTI