Telugu-origin student Arrested for Threatening a Man in Casino
A Telugu Student Shot Dead In USA
A few weeks away from his graduation, 24-year-old Saiesh Veera was shot dead and killed at a gas station on Thursday morning around 12:50 AM local time. He was shifted to the hospital and declared dead after a while.
Saiesh Veera was from a middle-class family and went to the USA to pursue his master’s degree. He was in his last semester of the course and was working as a clerk at Shell Fuel Station on West Broad Street, Franklinton, Columbus, Ohio. Friends are organizing a fundraiser to send his mortal remains to his hometown Eluru in Andhra Pradesh where his mother lives. Veera’s father passed away two years ago.
Saiesh Veera was shot dead during an attempt of a robbery at Shell gas station, police reported. Photos of the suspect have been released and detectives appealed the public to inform them, if they know anything about the suspect.
More Than 22L Indians in Line for Family-sponsored Green Card That Gives Permanent US Residency
More than 2,27,000 Indians are waiting in line for family-sponsored Green Card or legal permanent residency, according to a latest recent official data.
Currently, there are about four million people waiting in line for family-sponsored Green Cards against a Congressional cap of 226,000 per annum.
The largest number of 1.5 million wait list is from America’s southern neighbour Mexico, followed by a distant India with 227,000 and China with nearly 180,000.
Majority of those in the family-sponsored Green Card waiting list are siblings of US citizens. Under current law, US citizens can sponsor their family members and blood relatives for Green Cards or permanent legal residency.
President Donald Trump is against such a provision which he calls as chain immigration and wants to abolish this. The opposition Democratic party is vehemently opposed to abolish family-sponsored immigration system.
In addition to four million family-sponsored Green Card applicants, another 827,000, a sizeable number of whom are from India, are waiting in line for permanent legal residency. The waiting line for employment-based green card applicant is painstakingly running into more than a decade for Indian IT professional.
According to DHS, a majority of Indians waiting in line for family-based Green Cards are siblings of US citizens. They number over 181,000. This is followed by 42,000 married children of US citizens and over 2,500 spouses and minor children of permanent residents.
Dorasaani movie USA theaters list
State
|
Address
|
Theater Name
|
Circuit
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AR | 2200 Bellview, Rogers, AR 72758 | MALCO PINNACLE HILLS CINEMA | Malco |
AZ | 3420 East Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032 | HARKINS NORTH VALLEY 16 | Harkins |
AZ | 5000 Arizona Mills Circle, Tempe, AZ 85282 | HARKINS ARIZONA MILLS AND IMAX | Harkins |
CA | 6081 Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90045 | Cinemark 18 and XD | Cinemark |
CA | 10733 Westview Parkway, San Diego, CA 92126 | REGAL EDWARDS MIRA MESA IMAX | Regal |
CA | 32100 Union Landing, Union City, CA 94587 | Union City 25 + XD | Cinemark |
CA | 1010 Great Mall Drive, Milpitas CA 95035 | Century 20 Great Mall and XD | Cinemark |
CA | 1433 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126 | Towne 3 Cinemas | 8k Miles |
CA | 200 Serra Way #37, Milpitas, CA 95035 | Serra Theatres | 8k Miles |
CA | 39160 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont, CA 94538 | Cinegrand | Independent |
CO | 8300 E. Northfield Blvd., Denver, CO 80238 | HARKINS NORTHFIELD 18 | Harkins |
CT | 99 Redstone Rd, Manchester, CT 06040 | Buckland Hills 18 IMAX | Cinemark |
CT | 1201 Boston Post Rd, Milford, CT 06460 | Cinemark Connecticut Post 14 + IMAX | Cinemark |
FL | 11778 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL 33618 | VILLAGIO CINEMAS | Independent |
FL | 4535 Southside Blvd, Jacksonville FL 32216 | Cinemark Tinseltown and XD | Cinemark |
FL | 15601 Sheridan Street, Davie, FL 33331 | Cinemark Paradise 24 and XD | Cinemark |
GA | 10743 Alpharetta Hwy Roswell, GA 30076 | Digimax Theatres | 8k Miles |
GA | 9700 Medlock Bridge Road Ste 170, Johns Creek, GA 30097 | REGAL MEDLOCK CROSSING STADIUM 18 | Regal |
IL | 6500 Rte 53, Woodridge, IL 60517 | Cinemark 16 + IMAX | Cinemark |
IL | 9180 W Golf Rd, Niles, IL 60714 | MovieMax Cinemas | 8k Miles |
IL | 1111 Wylie Dr, Bloomington, IL 61701 | Bloomington Galaxy 14 Cine + IMAX | Marcus |
IN | 1848 E Stop 13 Road, Indianapolis IN 46227 | Cinemark Movies 8 | Cinemark |
KS | 8601 W 135th St, Overland Park, KS 66223 | B&B Theatres Overland Park 16 | Independent |
MA | 591 Donald Lynch Boulevard, Marlborough, MA 01752 | REGAL SOLOMON POND | Regal |
MA | 168 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA 02138 | Apple Cinemas | Apple Cinemas |
MD | 7000 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD 21076 | Egyptian 24 + XD | Cinemark |
MI | 200 Barclay Circle, Rochester Hills, MI 48307 | EMAGINE ROCHESTER HILLS | Emagine |
MI | 4100 Carpenter Road, Ypsilanti MI 48197 | Ann Arbor 20 + IMAX | Cinemark |
MN | 3400 Vicksburg Ln N, Plymouth, MN 55447 | Mann Plymouth Grand 15 | Independent |
MN | 1116 Shakopee Town Sq, Shakopee, MN 55379 | MARCUS SHAKOPEE CINEMA | Marcus |
MO | 1830 S. First Capitol Dr., Saint Charles, MO 63303 | MARCUS WEHRENBERG ST. CHARLES | Marcus |
NC | 1140 Parkside Main St, Cary, NC 27519 | Frank Theatres Cine Bowl | Frank Theatres |
NC | 4840 Grove Barton Road, Raleigh, NC 27613 | Cinemark Raleigh Grande | Cinemark |
NC | 7824 Rea Road, Charlotte, NC 28277 | REGAL STONECREST AT PIPER GLEN | Regal |
NC | 9508 Northeast Court, Matthews, NC 28105 | Cinemark Movies 10 | Cinemark |
NE | 304 N 174TH ST, Omaha, NE 68118 | Village Pointe Cinemas 16 | Marcus |
NH | 11 Executive Park Dr, Merrimack, NH 3054 | Cinemagic Merrimack 12 | Cinemagic |
NJ | 2399 Route 1 South, North Brunswick, NJ 08902 | REGAL COMMERCE CENTER STADIUM | Regal |
NJ | 1655 Oak Tree Rd, Edison, NJ 08820-2822 | BIG Cinemas Movie City 8 | 8k Miles |
NJ | 3125 Kennedy Blvd, North Bergen, NJ 7047 | Columbia Park Stadium 12 | Independent |
NJ | 3165 Route 46, Parsippany, NJ 07054 | CINÉPOLIS PARSIPPANY | Cinepolis |
NY | 20 Michael Avenue, Farmingdale, NY 11735 | REGAL UA FARMINGDALE & IMAX | Regal |
OH | 200 Hutchinson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43235 | MARCUS CROSSWOODS CINEMA | Marcus |
OH | 6360 Busch Blvd, Columbus, OH 43229 | Screens at the Continent | TriState |
OH | 3773 Ridge Mill Drive, Hilliard, OH 43026 | Movies 11 @ Millrun | TriState |
OH | 500 Rivers Edge Drive, Milford OH 45150 | Milford 16 | Cinemark |
OH | 6001 Canal Road, Valley View, OH 44125 | Cinemark At Valley View and XD | Cinemark |
OR | 3200 SW Hocken Ave, Beaverton, OR 97005 | Century 16 Cedar Hills | Cinemark |
PA | 180 Mill Road, Oaks, PA 19456 | REGAL OAKS STADIUM 24 | Regal |
PA | 2100 Settlers Ridge Center Dr., Robinson, PA 15205 | Cinemark Robinson Township and XD | Cinemark |
TN | 7051 Malco Crossing, Memphis, TN 38115 | MALCO MAJESTIC 20 THEATRE | Malco |
TX | 7201 N Central Expressway,Plano, TX 75025 | Cinemark Legacy and XD | Cinemark |
TX | 8505 Walton Blvd, Irving, TX 75063 | REGAL MACARTHUR MARKETPLACE 16 | Independent |
TX | 2661 Midway Rd , Carrollton, TX 75006 | FUNMOVIE GRILL | Independent |
TX | 15436 F M 1825, Pflugerville, TX 78660 | Tinseltown 20 + XD | Cinemark |
TX | 12920 Northwest Freeway, Houston TX 77040 | Cinemark Tinseltown 290 and XD | Cinemark |
VA | 6201 Multiplex Dr, Centreville, VA 20121 | Centreville 12 | Cinemark |
VA | 22875 Brambleton Plaza, Ashburn, VA 20148 | REGAL FOX STADIUM 16 & IMAX | Regal |
WA | 700 Bellevue Way NE, Lincoln Square,Bellevue, WA 98004 | Lincoln Square Cinemas | Cinemark |
WI | 7825 Big Sky Drive, Madison, WI 53719 | MARCUS POINT CINEMAS | Marcus |
WI | 5200 S Moorland Rd, New Berlin, WI 53151 | Marcus Ridge Cinema | Marcus |
Telangana woman badly injured in a road mishap in USA
A NRI woman Udutha Swarna from Kusumanchi, Khammam district has been badly injured in a road accident near Chicago city. At this time of reporting, Sunday 10PM CST, she is on ventilator and battling for life in cook county’s John H Stroger Jr Hospital.The accident took place around Saturday midnight when Udatha Swarna along with her family is returning back to home after watching a movie.Her husband Kiran Kumar is reported safe while her daughter Bindhu(10) has been injured in the road mishap.
Another couple who’re also in same car are family friends to swarna, they suffered minor injuries
Telugu360 spoke to Hema C Kanuri, a representative of TANA Team Square,TeamAid who is at John H. Stroger Jr Hospital and he revealed that Udutha Swarna’s condition continued to be very critical and is battling for life.Swarna’s husband Kiran Kumar who works as a Software engineer moved to Chicago, USA an year ago and Udutha Swarna along with her daughter Bindhu flew to USA four months ago.A case has been registered by Chicago police and the investigation is on.
While Swarna’s condition stayed critical, news dailies from telugu states ‘Eenadu’ and ‘Telangana Today’ wrongly reported that she passed away on Sunday morning.
Bharat Ane Nenu – US Ticket Deals
Bookmark , visit this Telugu360 page for ” Bharat Ane Nenu ” discounted tickets availability in USA market. New deals and How to buy steps are updated daily here. USA release on Thursday April 19th 2018.
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3. $5 should be the total cost of premiere show ticket
4. This Promo Code must be from 04/10 [ * Expires 2:59 am ET on April 16th]
Offer 2 : $5 OFF Each ticket at Atom Tickets
- Create a NEW EMAIL account by Clicking Here To Register with ATOM
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- $5 OFF of your ticket , Approximate final cost for Bharat Ane Nenu premier ticket is $15
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H-1B Application Process to Begin From April 2; Premium Processing Suspended
Petitions for H1-B visas, popular among Indian IT professionals, will be accepted from April 2, a federal agency announced on Wednesday.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also announced the suspension of premium processing of all H-1B petitions which are subject to the annual caps.
The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality 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 H-1B petition filing is for the fiscal year 2019 beginning October 1, 2018.
The suspension of premium processing of all H-1B petitions which are subject to the annual caps is expected to last until September 10, 2018. During this time, the USCIS said it will continue to accept premium processing requests for H-1B petitions that are not subject to the fiscal 2019 cap. “We will notify the public before resuming premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions or making any other premium processing updates,” it said.
At the same time, the USCIS said while premium processing is suspended, a petitioner may submit a request to expedite an FY 2019 cap-subject H-1B petition if it meets the expedited criteria.
The USCIS said that the temporary suspension of premium processing will help it reduce overall H-1B processing time.
By temporarily suspending premium processing, the USCIS said it will be able to process long-pending petitions, which it has currently been unable to process due to the high volume of incoming petitions and the significant surge in premium processing requests over the past few years; and prioritise adjudication of H-1B extension of status cases that are nearing the 240-day mark.
As an H-1B non-immigrant, the applicant may be admitted for a period of up to three years. The time period may be extended, but generally cannot go beyond a total of six years. However, there are some exceptions to it.
The H1-B visa has an annual numerical limit cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year as mandated by the Congress. The first 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with a US master’s degree or higher are exempt from the cap.
Additionally, H1-B workers who are petitioned for or employed at an institution of higher education or its affiliated or related nonprofit entities or a nonprofit research organisation or a government research organisation are not subject to this numerical cap.
According to the USCIS, between 2007 and 2017, it received the maximum number of 2.2 million H-1B petitions from high-skilled Indians. India was followed by China with 301,000 H-1B petitions during the same period.
US Seeks No Extension of H-1B Visas, Indians May be Hit: Report
The US is considering new regulations to prevent the extension of H-1B visas as part of president Donald Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” initiative, a move which could hit tech firms and hundreds of thousands of Indian IT professionals, a media report said.
The move could directly stop hundreds of thousands of foreign workers from keeping their H-1B visas while their green card applications are pending.
The proposal which is being shared between the Department of Homeland Security Department (DHS) heads is part of Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” initiative promised during the 2016 campaign, US-based news agency McClatchy DC Bureau reported.
It aims to impose new restrictions to prevent abuse and misuse of H-1B visas, besides ending the provision of granting extension for those who already have a green card.
“The act currently allows the administration to extend the H-1B visas for thousands of immigrants, predominantly Indian immigrants, beyond the allowed two three-year terms if a green card is pending,” the report said.
“The idea is to create a sort of ‘self- deportation’ of hundreds of thousands of Indian tech workers in the United States to open up those jobs for Americans,” it said, quoting a source briefed by Homeland Security officials.
“The agency is considering a number of policy and regulatory changes to carry out the President’s Buy American, Hire American Executive Order, including a thorough review of employment-based visa programmes,” said Jonathan Withington, chief of media relations for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
It is typically issued for three to six years to employers to hire a foreign worker. But H-1B holders who have begun the green card process can often renew their work visas indefinitely.
The technology companies depend on H-1B to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
The proposed changes would have a dramatic effect particularly on Indian visa holders considering more than half of all H-1B visas have been awarded to Indian nationals, the report said, quoting the Pew Research Center report.
“This would be a major catastrophic development as many people have been waiting in line for green cards for over a decade, have US citizen children, own a home,” Leon Fresco, who served as a deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department in the Obama administration who now represent H-1B workers, was quoted as saying in the report.
Fresco estimates more than 1 million H1-B visa holders in the country are waiting for green cards, many of whom are from India and have been waiting for more than a decade.
Trump had made the alleged abuse and fraud in H-1B visa system a major election issue during his campaign.
After becoming the president, he signed an executive order aimed at tightening the process of issuing the H1B visas.
Trump had said the order was the first step to initiate “long overdue” reforms to end “visa abuses”.
Akhil’s Hello shows in USA To Set New Records
It is a well-known fact that Akhil Akkineni is currently gearing up for the release of his second film Hello. Directed by Vikram K Kumar, the movie is produced by Akkineni Nagarjuna under Annapurna Studios. The movie promotions are going on in full swing and as a part of it, Akhil has planned a USA tour along with Rana Daggubati. The already released trailer and songs have garnered the attention and amidst huge expectations, the premiere shows in USA turned into the biggest filmy events there.
Interesting factor is that the organizers are not collecting any money for the shows and it witnessed huge crowd in various places. As per the reports, in New Jersey as many as 2,000 people are attending it, whereas the crowd in Dallas and Bay Area are 4,000 each.
Well, we have to wait and see whether Akhil is going to bag success with Hello or not.
1.17 million Indian tourists visited the US last year
The Indian outbound traveller is now a much-coveted commodity around the world, as the country’s booming middle class seeks new destinations and emerges as a key market.
The Indian market has set a new record as 1.17 million tourists visited the US last year, according to Brand USA, the nation’s first public-private partnership to promote the United States as a travel destination.
“Brand USA has reached the million visitor mark from India, we expect much more growth. This year has seen our largest delegation of our Brand USA India mission with nearly 40 organisations, we actually had a waiting list of people wanting to tap the indian market. And that really shows the importance that India has,” Suzana Shepard, Manager Global Trade Development Brand USA, said during a branding event organized by Brand USA representative Sartha Global Marketing in New Delhi.
In February, Brand USA inaugurated the US-India travel and tourism partnership year in Delhi, led by the US Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). The NTTO had forecast a 72 per cent increase in arrivals from 2015 through 2021.
While business travelers and family visits have been the norm so far, more Indians travel to less visited states and try new activities involving adventure and thrills.
“Indians are big consumers of adventure activities and this is exactly what we got in Nevada for them. The US is very much a road trip destination and there is so much to see, different landscapes, just like in India I guess but with a different decor, different people and a great melting pot of cultures,” said Claudia Vecchio, Director of the Department of Tourism & Cultural Affairs in Nevada.
According to Brand USA, India ranks 11th in international visitors and also represents the sixth biggest spender with $13.6 billion registered last year.
“There is really a great opportunity, only one per cent of the population has a passport and there is a growing middle class. It leaves room for a lot development,” Shepard said.
The increasing number of direct flights from India by national carrier Air India has also helped in catering to the tourists’ demand, the latest being Delhi-Washington DC. A couple of years ago, Air India also added San Francisco to its other non-stop flights to New York, Chicago and Newark. The carrier is said to be evaluating a direct flight to Los Angeles as well.
“With the non-stop service from India, San Francisco Airport has seen the traffic back and forth to India grow by 10 per cent, said Melissa Andretta, Director of International Marketing at San Francisco International Airport.
“The United States has always been a prime destination for Indian tourists, the country being home to an important Indian diaspora. We are seeing a lot of FITs coming, a lot of Indian weddings celebrated in Washington DC where an important Indian origin population lives. You can even celebrate Indian festivals like Diwali just like you would do in India as the city organises special decorations and festivities,” said Yi Lu, International Sales Manager at Destination DC.
On the recent visa restrictions on Indian travellers to the USA, Shepard said that they had no impact on the tourism to India and that Indians are warmly welcomed by many Americans.
US firms may lose $700mn as workers watch solar eclipse
US companies may lose upto $700 million due to lost productivity as employees put aside their work to witness the once-in-a-century solar eclipse, according to a top business person.
Workers took at least 20 minutes on Monday to watch the solar eclipse, Andy Challenger, vice president of Challenger, Gray and Christmas, an outplacement firm, said.
The rare astronomical event, known as Great American Eclipse, was observed throughout the whole country, and a total solar eclipse was witnessed in 14 states, reports Xinhua news agency.
“There are very few people who are not going to walk outside when a celestial event of such kind takes place,” Challenger said, estimating that 87 million employees were working during the eclipse.
To get the cost for employers, Challenger multiplied the figure of working employees by the estimated watching time and the average hourly wages estimated by the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
“Compared to the amount of wages being paid to an employee over a course of a year, it is very small,” Challenger said. “It’s not going to show up in any type of macroeconomic data.”
The US mainland has not seen a total solar eclipse since 1979, when it swept a handful of northwestern states. The country’s last total solar eclipse stretching from coast to coast took place in 1918.
This time, US space agency NASA provided a live webcast of the event, using 11 spacecraft, at least three NASA aircraft and more than 50 high-altitude balloons.
No laptop ban on US flights from Europe for now: US
The US will not impose a ban on carry-on laptops on flights coming from Europe for now, an official spokesperson today said, days after America underlined the need to “raise the bar” on airline security, including screening certain carry-on items.
The ban is already in place for flights from certain regions of the Middle East and North Africa after intelligence reports that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is developing ways to hide explosives in batteries and battery compartments.
No laptop ban on US flights from Europe for now but the option is still on the table, Homeland Security Secretary Dave Lapan announced after a call between Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc.
“While a much-discussed expansion of the ban on large electronic devices in the cabin on flights to the United States was not announced today, the Secretary made it clear that an expansion is still on the table,” Lapan said in a statement.
Lapan was referring to comments by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly who in a call today with European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc discussed aviation security.
“Kelly affirmed he will implement any and all measures necessary to secure commercial aircraft flying to the United States – including prohibiting large electronic devices from the passenger cabin – if the intelligence and threat level warrant it,” Lapan said, after the conference call between American and European leaders, during which two other items were discussed.
Lapan said the American and European leaders agreed to raise the bar for aviation security globally, including through a range of potential seen and unseen enhancements.
“The parties also agreed to continue to work together to secure global aviation and to maintain clear lines of communication and cooperation,” he said.
Source:EconomicTimes
Chandrababu leaves for US tour, busy in Delhi today
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu left for 10-day US tour on Wednesday morning. He would be busy in the national capital meeting the Union Ministers and would leave finally for US during early hours of Thursday.
Chandrababu Naidu would be visiting California, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and New Jersey during his stay. He is scheduled to interact with the heads of several companies and the Non-Resident Telugus during his tour and mobilise investments for the State, mostly in the IT sector. The AP Non-Resident Telugu Society led by Vemuri Ravikumar is organising the tour of Chandrababu Naidu-led delegation from the government. The tour is set to over 800 NTRs showing interest in adopting villages to develop them into Smart Villages, a programme that Chandrababu Naidu had initiated after his return to power in the 2014 elections. The APNRTS is to take care of the initiatives right from the signing of MoUs with the government in US to the channelization of funds for the successful implementation of the project back in Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister-led delegation would also make field visits to Apple, Tesla, Cisco, Oracle, Google and others during their stay in US. The NRTs and the officials from the State government are confident of mobilising a huge amount investments during this visit that would contribute for the overall development of the State.
Trump’s H1-B fallout: Infosys to hire 10,000 US techies
Global software major Infosys on Tuesday said it would hire 10,000 American workers in the next two years, a move seen as a fallout of US President Donald Trump’s executive order on H1-B visas a fortnight ago.
The city-based IT major also said it would set up four technology and innovation hubs across North America to focus on cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, user experience, emerging digital technologies, cloud and big data.
The first hub will open in the midwestern state of Indiana in August and is expected to create 2,000 jobs by 2021 for American workers.
“The hubs will have technology and innovation focused areas and serve clients in key industries such as financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, retail and energy,” said the firm in a statement here.
Clients in the US contribute about 60 per cent of the company’s software export revenue per year.
“We are committed to hiring 10,000 American technology workers over the next two years to help invent and deliver the digital futures for our clients in the US,” said Infosys Chief Executive Vishal Sikka in the statement.
The $10.3-billion company will hire experienced professionals as well as recent graduates from major universities and local and community colleges to create talent pools for the future.
“Basically, Infosys is hiring American workers to please Trump, who passed an order recently (April 19) which will force Indian IT firms to pay more salary for high-skilled employees working in the US on H-1B visas,” Head Hunters India Founder-Chairman and Managing Director K. Lakshmikanth told IANS here.
Infosys Deputy Chief Operating Officer S. Ravi Kumar however said the company had been hiring in the US over the years for organic growth and create talent on campuses.
“The right strategy for a company like ours is to build local talent pools and supplement them with global talent in times of shortage. The hubs will be located where we have client clusters and good local talent is available,” he said.
The decision to ramp up local hiring by Indian IT majors like Infosys, TCS and Wipro comes also in light of Trump’s order to ensure that H-1B visas were awarded to the most skilled and highly-paid.
“Infosys will take time to ramp up local hiring as it is very costly. It has to pay a minimum of $80,000 (Rs 52 lakh) per year to a skilled American techie. For the same amount, it can hire four software engineers in India for its offshore development work,” said Lakshmikanth.
Currently, an Indian IT firm pays $60,000-65,000 per year for techies working in the US on H-1B visas and they return after three years of onsite work.
Infosys, which sends about 3,000-4,000 techies to the US every year, will get 50 per cent of the H1B visas under the new rules as part of the quota and the rest through the lottery system.
“If Infosys hires about 500 Americans techies, it will result in loss of 2,000 jobs in India for offshore operations. Automation and AI (Artificial Intelligence) will reduce hiring by another 30-40 per cent,” said Lakshmikanth.
Indian IT industry representative body Nasscom, however, declined to react to Infosys’ plans, saying it “doesn’t comment on company specific matters”.
Observing that learning and education have been the core of what Infosys offered to clients, Sikka said they make the company a leader in times of great change.
Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb said on the occasion that it was good to welcome Infosys to the state to expand its growing tech ecosystem with the addition of 2,000 jobs.
“Indiana continues to put the tools in place such as the Next Level Trust Fund and incentivising direct flights that allow us to attract and retain great companies like Infosys,” he said in the statement.
The Governor also said higher education institutions in Indiana were producing a world class workforce and establishing the state as the innovation hub in the Midwest.
“I look forward to working with Infosys to elevate Indiana to the next level,” he added.
To ensure that American workers are equipped to innovate and support clients in the digitisation of all industries, the company will institute training programmes in competencies such as user experience, cloud, artificial intelligence, big data and digital offerings as well as core technology and computer science skills.
Since 2015, over 134,000 students, 2,500 teachers and 2,500 schools in America have benefited from h computer science training and classroom equipment funded by Infosys Foundation USA.