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The nerd list

Database of IT professional planned to stymie "experts" seeking employment in the US.

Fed up of people claiming to be infotech experts, the Hyderabad Software Technology Park is drawing up a database of IT professionals. This database of experts is initially to be made available to the US consulate in Madras through a fast, confidential link.

T O D A Y

• The nerd list • Low VPT revenues • Tata-IBM's deal

This information will be used to crosscheck the credentials of people applying for H1 visas for jobs in the US. Over a tenth of the Indians who go to the US claiming IT expertise are returned. Many of the others are retained, despite their low standards, in an industry strapped for professionals.

US consulate officials were trying to find ways to check such fraudulent immigration with help from the software industry when the suggestion came from STP director J A Choudhury. Forty per cent of the fake experts are from Hyderabad, where a number of IT-related institutes have popped up.

Such fraud depends on forged degrees or diplomas, fake experience certificates or certificates from non-existent companies. Consulate officials said it was difficult to ascertain if the company was real or not though, when a software major is involved, they can check the claim.

Already, three applicants fraudulently claiming expertise have been handed over to the police after the consulate hardened its stand. It is in touch with the Software Exporters Association and the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and are trying to reduce the number of visa applications.

-Compiled from the Indian media

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