High Court Questions State Government on Delay in Paying Engineering Colleges' Fees The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to specify a clear deadline for settling outstanding fee reimbursements owed to engineering colleges. The court is probing whether the government has provided a definitive timeline for disbursing the pending payments, which amount to hundreds of crores of rupees. The court also raised concerns about how colleges can manage operations without the funds, emphasizing that the state’s failure to reimburse fees could force institutions to continue charging students, thereby increasing their financial burden. The issue arose after multiple engineering colleges filed petitions in the court challenging the state government’s orders related to fee reimbursements. The colleges argued that the government’s recent notifications, including Government Orders (GOs) 7, 8, and 9, created confusion and imposed undue pressure on students. Specifically, they highlighted that GO-7, issued on April 29, mandated that students pay fees to colleges only after the state government had reimbursed the amounts. However, the court noted that this provision contradicted earlier interim orders issued by the judiciary, which had prohibited colleges from pressuring students to pay fees until the reimbursements were processed. During the hearing, the state’s special legal counsel, Rahul Reddy, defended the government’s position, stating that the central government also holds a share of the reimbursement funds. He argued that the state must first settle its portion before the central government could release its share, placing the entire financial burden on the state.#government_orders #state_government #rahul_reddy #telangana_high_court #engineering_colleges
H-1B Lottery 2027 Update: Immigration Lawyers Predict Registration Numbers to Reach Around 200,000 Immigration attorneys Rahul Reddy and Emily Neumann have predicted that the total number of H-1B cap registrations for fiscal year 2027 will drop to approximately 200,000, marking a significant decline from previous years. This projection comes amid a trend of decreasing registrations, with figures falling to 780,884 in 2024, 479,943 in 2025, and 358,737 in 2026. The attorneys attribute this decline to the $100,000 fee imposed on employers for H-1B petitions, which has discouraged many companies from participating in the registration process. The wage-based selection process, a new policy implemented for the first time in 2027, is expected to influence the lottery outcome but not the total number of registrations. While the fee has had a more direct impact on participation, the wage-based system aims to prioritize candidates with higher salaries, potentially altering the demographic of applicants. However, immigration lawyers suggest that the number of registrations will remain within the range of 200,000 to 250,000 for the current fiscal year. The H-1B registration period for FY 2027 ran from March 4 to March 19, during which employers submitted electronic registrations for candidates they intended to hire. It is important to note that this step does not constitute a formal petition but rather a preliminary registration. Employers who select candidates not already in the U.S. will face a $100,000 fee, whereas those hiring candidates already in the U.S. on Optional Practical Training (OPT) visas will not incur the cost. Results from the lottery are expected by March 31, with employers receiving notifications directly from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).#rahul_reddy #emily_neumann #uscis #h1b_lottery #wage_based_selection
