The situation of Indian students in the USA who are on F-1 visas is pathetic. They are uncertain about what to do after the OPT period of 12 months.
H-1B is not getting picked easily like before. The uncertainty is looming badly.
Such students are unable to decide whether to stay in the USA and wait until the end of their legal status if they do not get H-1B and their OPT time expires, or return now itself.
Because part-time jobs are not being allowed and ICE checks and raids are frequent, getting money from India at around Rs 2–3 lakh per month for mere survival is also burdensome to Indian parents and not meaningful if H-1B is not certain. So such students are in doldrums in the USA.
“I completed my Master’s in Data Science and my OPT will end in four months. Every day starts with job applications and ends with anxiety. My parents already spent nearly Rs 75 lakh on my education. I don’t know whether to take another course, return to India, or just wait and hope for H-1B,” says a student in Dallas.
“I am working in a small consultancy on OPT, but the project is not stable. I came to the US with big dreams, but now my biggest goal is simply to maintain my legal status,” says an engineering graduate in Chicago.
On the other hand, the plight of H-1B visa holders is also pitiful, if not pathetic. They have jobs, earnings, and live their lives. But their worry is different, they cannot travel to India daringly.
Many are avoiding travel to India, whether for weddings, funerals, or any other reason, fearing they may not be allowed to re-enter the United States.
It is known that several H-1B employees who travelled to India lost their jobs after their visa stamping appointments were postponed by a few months. The delay prevented them from returning to the US on time.
When talked to, some H-1B visa holders say their pains are many.
“My mother is ailing in Vijayawada. I want to meet her, but I am confined to video calls. I doubt if I lose my job if I cross the border. I cannot dare lose this present job as there are many loans to be cleared” says an H-1B employee living in Connecticut.
“My brother’s wedding is in a few months. But I decided not to go. I will have to watch it through live streaming. I am not sure if I will be allowed back into the US if I leave under Trump’s rule,” says a banking professional on an H-1B visa in New Jersey.
“I feel like I am in jail though I am well paid and living comfortably with my family. It feels like a jail because I cannot dare to go to my native place in Siddipet,” says another H-1B employee.
“My friend Avinash got married recently in the US. His parents wanted to conduct the wedding in India, but he had to fly there for that. Since he is on an H-1B visa, they avoided the risk. His parents remotely found a Telugu match for him in the US and the wedding was held there. They could not travel because they did not have B1/B2 visas (waiting time for interview is more than a year) and watched their son’s wedding through live streaming from Hyderabad,” says Naveen, a student.
Overall, many students and H-1B employees have decided not to cross US borders until November 2028. Whether the situation is good, bad, or unavoidable, they do not want to risk travelling to India.
Many are hoping things will change after 2028, but no one can predict the future. The bottom line is that no new laws have been created; the existing provisions are being applied more strictly. Whether the next President will continue the same approach or dilute it remains to be seen.
