Though the enrolment data put Nepali students at 13th position, their growth is the highest among foreign students Nov 15, 2018-Nepalis are the fifth largest foreign community to receive H-1B visa to the US between 2012 and May this year, according to an official report of the US government.

According to the report of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2,291 Nepali applicants received H-1B visa. Six years ago, Nepali community was the 13th largest foreign community to get the employment visa to the US. India with 101,211 recipients stands is the largest foreign community to receive H-1B visa, followed by China, South Korea and Taiwan.   The H-1B is issued for a specialty occupation, requires theoretical and practical application of a body of specialised knowledge. One should at least have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent to apply. The average annual income of such visa holders, according to USCIS, is $79,165. Another report published by the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs a few months ago showed that Nepali students were the fastest growing international student population studying at colleges and universities there.

It said there was 20 percent increase of Nepali students enrolled in the US higher education institutions in 2017, taking the size of total Nepali students to 11,607. Though the enrolment data put Nepali students at 13th position, their growth was the highest among foreign students. With 12.3 percent increment, India had the second highest growth followed by Bangladesh, Spain and China with 9.7 percent, 7.9 percent and 6.8 percent growth respectively. The US is one of the most sought after academic destinations for students worldwide. The US-based colleges and universities enrolled a record 1.08 million international students by last year. Record at Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Nepal shows that 2,485 students acquired No Objection Certificates to study in the US which is fourth highest after India, Australia and Japan.

Published on: 15 November 2018 | The Kathmandu Post