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From worker visa to H-1B: How changes in US visa rules will impact Indians
A latest rule from the State Department said that foreign professionals will lose work authorisation if their visa renewal is not approved before expiry date.
Over the last few months, the Trump administration has been introducing changes to various US visa systems, from halting worker visas for foreign drivers to ending automatic work permit renewals, resulting in a significant impact on Indians.
According to the data from the Office of Homeland Security, India was the largest overall sending country in fiscal year 2024, contributing 33 per cent of the total non-immigrant population in the United States.
India also accounted for a substantially larger portion of all temporary workers at 47 per cent. The DHS statistics stated that nearly 70 per cent of the Indian non-immigrants were temporary workers and 30 per cent were students.
A total of 11,90,000 Indian residents non-immigrant population were in the US in FY 2024.
Here's a look at the curbs imposed by the Trump administration on various visas and the impact they have had or are likely to have on Indians:
Worker visas for foreign workers halted
US President Donald Trump abruptly stopped issuing US visas for truck drivers on August 21, a move that came after a deadly crash involving an Indian driver residing illegally in the country drew national attention.
US State Secretary Marco Rubio had announced the latest move in an X post: "Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers."
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Citing reasons for the move, Rubio said that the rising number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks in America was "endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers".
According to federal statistics, the number of foreign-born truckers in the US more than doubled between 2000 and 2021. While over half the foreign drivers come from Latin America, those from India and Eastern European nations also make up a sizeable number.
The number of Indian-American drivers in the US trucking industry rose substantially, particularly from the Sikh community. Tens of thousands of truckers in California are of Indian heritage. Many of whom are either Sikh immigrants or descendants actively involved in trucking businesses and truck stops.
These communities have filled the critical roles and gaps amid the longstanding driver shortage across the US.
The halt on worker visas for foreign drivers impacts Indians in a way that many might have already invested in processes related to the job.
New student visa policy
Late in August, the Trump administration proposed a new US student visa policy that would create a fixed time period for F visas for international students, and J visas that allow visitors on cultural exchange programmes to work in the US.
The proposal brought in hurdles for international students, exchange workers, and foreign journalists, requiring them to apply for extensions to remain in America.
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The student and exchange visas will last no longer than four years.
While student arrivals from India to the US have already halved this year, the new move has strived to add to the declining figure.
Tightened visa rules on interview appointments
On September 6, the US State Department updated its rules for non-immigrant visa applicants, tightening the norms for interview appointments.
The department said that the applicant for a non-immigrant visa (NIV) should schedule their visa interview at the US Embassy or Consulate in the country of their residence, adding that those who do it outside their nation will experience higher difficulty in qualifying for a visa.
The fee paid for the visa interview and application will also not be refunded, it added.
This means that Indian applicants will have to schedule their interview appointments within India. Earlier, they could book an appointment abroad to avoid the long wait for an appointment date in India.
The tightened visa rule implies that Indian applicants will have to wait months before their interview appointment.
H-1B visa fee hike and rules
On September 19, President Trump signed a proclamation increasing the fee for H-1B visas to $100,000, a move that took effect on September 21.
While the decision stirred global panic, including among Indians, the White House clarified that the payment was not an annual fee, but a one-time charge. It also stated that the fee hike does not affect the current visa holders.
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The H-1B visa, a non-immigrant programme, allows US companies to hire foreign workers in specialised roles, such as IT, engineering, medicine, and science. It is typically issued for a three-year period, extendable up to six, and enables workers to reside and work in the US legally while employed by the company. While hiking the fee for this programme, the Trump administration justified that this move was being taken to ensure that only highly-skilled foreign workers, who cannot be replaced by skilled American workers, would enter the US.
According to federal data, the US issues 85,000 H-1B visas each year through a lottery, with Indians accounting for 70 per cent of these visa holders.
Around 3 lakh high-skilled Indian workers are currently in the US on H-1B visas. According to 'The Other One Percent', a study on Indians in America, the H-1B visa programme is a reason for the "rise of Indian-Americans into the highest educated and highest earning group -- immigrant or native -- in the US".
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The visa also gave Indian companies an opportunity to bring in new tech professionals to the US to give them exposure to where their clientele is largely based.
Where top American companies like Amazon and Microsoft used to take advantage of the programme to bring in young Indian talent, the fee hike will ensure, as US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said, that they focus on 'training Americans' if at all they are going to train people.
End of automatic work permit renewal
The Trump administration on Wednesday, October 29, announced changes to the terms of work visa renewal, which are set to affect foreign workers, especially Indian professionals in the US.
According to the new rule from the Department of Homeland Security, foreign professionals will lose work authorisation if their visa renewal is not approved before the expiry date.
Previously, most foreign professionals were allowed to stay in the US even after their work permit expired, as long as they submitted a visa renewal.
This new rule will impact those holding OPT (F-1 student visa), H4 spouses of H-1B holders, and those applying for permanent residency in the US.
Dependents or spouses of Indians holding the H-1B visas, having work permits on the basis of their dependent status, might face a direct impact on their employment with the ending of automatic renewals.
If the renewal is not granted in time, they could stand at risk of losing their job, which then results in risk of income instability and career growth.
