Business leaders are turning in growing numbers to B1 visas, as opposed to the coveted H1B permits, in an attempt to attract more foreigners to work in the USA, according to reports.

Though B1 licences limit overseas employees to stay in the States for a shorter period than the H1B, there is no cap on the number that can be issued.

At present, the H1B is doled out to 65,000 professionals seeking work in the USA each year, though this number is touted to reach at least 180,000 annually within the next few years.

B1 visas only allow foreigners to work in the USA for up to six months at a time, as a ‘visitor’ of a company based in America, but the immigration overhaul may increase this time limit to one year, reports the Financial Express.

“They are actively considering the suggestion of increasing the span of B1 visa from six months to one year,” a source at a leading IT company told the publication.

Anyone lining up work in the USA should be sure to invest in visitors insurance, which can provide essential protection in a number of worst-case scenarios.

Contributed by J.Bevan