Thousands of Indian IT professionals are expected to gain as US President Joe Biden on Thursday allowed the ban on the H-1B visa for foreign workers to lapse with the notification issued by his predecessor Donald Trump expiring on March 31.

Trump had in June last year issued a proclamation that suspended entry to the US of applicants for several temporary or non-immigrant visa categories, including H-1B, arguing that these visas presented a risk to the US labour market.

On December 31, Trump extended the order to March 31, 2021, justifying the step on the ground that the pandemic continued to disrupt American lives, and high levels of unemployment and job loss were still presenting serious economic challenges to workers across the US.

Biden did not issue a fresh proclamation to extend the ban on H-1B visas beyond March 31.  He had promised to lift the suspension on H-1B visas, saying Trump's immigration policies were cruel.

Technology companies in the US depend on the H-1B visa to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China as the technical experts are not available in the US in adequate numbers.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty 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.