India, Oct. 16 -- The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has put forward a regulatory proposal that could undermine an important aspect of how temporary work visas are processed, sparking concern throughout the Indian immigrant community.

The new proposed rule being considered would allow federal immigration officers to disregard previous approvals when reviewing extension requests for non-immigrant work visas, such as the widely used H-1B and L-1 programmes. The DHS' proposal hasn't been put into action yet. Currently, the department is actively seeking feedback on the "entirety of this proposed rulemaking package."

Indian nationals make up roughly 70% of all H-1B beneficiaries in FY 2025, based on US Citizenship and I...