"We will fight to protect every last American life," Trump
This April, visa applications to be issued for the US financial year beginning October saw a 50 per cent drop over last April.
Indians have topped the number of illegal immigrants from Asian countries caught at land, sea, and air checkpoints of the US since 2022.
Noting that Indians have been benefited most from the H-1B and L1 work visas, a senior US official has said there have been some cases of abuse of these visa categories in India.
'Trump has no more elections to fight and his soaring ambition, which is no secret, will be to carve out a presidential legacy that outshines by far all his mediocre predecessors.' 'Trump's turnaround on the H-1B visa debate shows that he can take tough decisions and there are no holy cows in his domain,' asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Trump spoke approvingly of his recent telephone conversation with Xi Jinping. This could indicate the possibility of America and China reaching some level of tactical accommodation, which would not be good news for India, points out Ambassador Shyam Saran, a former foreign secretary.
Amid speculation that there would be reduction in number of H-1B visas, which has attracted large number of Indian professionals, a top immigration expert has said that the quota of 65,000 will get capped as the filing opens on April 1.
The H-1B work visas for highly skilled professionals have been most beneficial from IT sector professionals from India.
With Donald Trump all set to become US president, Indian exporters may face high customs duties for goods like automobiles, textiles and pharmaceuticals if the new US administration decides to pursue the 'America First' agenda, opined trade experts. Experts also said that Trump could also tighten H-1B visa rules, impacting costs and growth for Indian IT firms. Over 80 per cent of India's IT export earnings come from the US, making it vulnerable to changes in visa policies.
'Accusations would be flung about his votes being stolen. He'll say dead people were voting from the grave.' Payal Singh Mohanka reports on the mood ahead of the US presidential election.
Hires 2 former US ambassadors to India.
Given the rate at which the USCIS has now been receiving the H-1B applications on a daily basis, officials said it would not be a surprise that they announce that the cap has been reached before the end of this year.
Where do Indian IT firms stand compared to their global peers in this journey of transformation? Ayan Pramanik seeks answers from IT services analyst Phil Fersht.
Donald Trump's Presidency of the United States will open new opportunities for India though certain sectors, especially pharma and IT, may face the heat if the incoming president decides to impose restrictions on imports and H1B visa regulations, experts said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's friendly relationship with Trump will have a positive bearing on Indo-US relations but India may have to adapt its strategies to maintain cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Despite the rise in visa application fee and increasing pressure from the US to hire more locally, the number of H-1B and L-1 visa holders at most of the top Indian information technology firms are expected to increase further.
'As far as skilled immigration is concerned, the US needs Indian skills and Indian talent, and there are no two opinions about it even among US companies.'
'Democrats don't care about those on H-1B visas. They don't care about the Green Card backlog.' 'President Trump wants to stop the massive flow of illegal immigrants and focus on a robust and legal immigration system.' 'Indian Americans would thrive in such an immigration system.'
US is the largest market for the over $140 billion Indian IT services industry
Illegal immigration, he said, has resulted in crime, corruption and inflation.
The United States Senate has passed the landmark comprehensive immigration reform bill that will provide a pathway to citizenship to some 11 million illegal immigrants, including over 240,000 Indians.
Also looks at setting up development and training centres in the US to tide over visa-related issues
The EAM when asked about his view of the world at present, said it would be "very grim forecast, for the next five years".
Those on H-1B visas have to find a new job within 60 days or head back to India.
In their petition, the couple said they got married on May 10, 2022 according to Hindu rites and customs at a hotel in Ghaziabad's Kaushambi and left for the US to pursue their careers.
A strident bill concerning US work visas for non-US citizens has been re-introduced before the US Senate. A look at the bill.
rediffGURU Geeta Ratra offers expert advice on international courses, student visas and immigration processes.
Business leaders tell Congress that to attract and retain the best minds, the U.S. must keep the doors open to immigrants
Here are list of some of the big ticket announcements.
Outsourcing expert Ron Hira says that there are huge misconceptions about how the US worker visa programme operates.
'I hope that Macho Man agrees to debate her, because I think she will do spectacularly well in the debate.'
The Indian IT industry has consistently protested the anti-outsourcing rhetoric of American politicians.
India's second-largest information technology services provider, Infosys Technologies, has applied for a mere 405 visas till date for financial year 2009-10 - its lowest application count in recent years.
I think the United States must realise that today 60 to 70 per cent of the growth of the revenues of large American companies comes from India and China.
Arun Vakil answers reader questions about F1, H1B and travel visas. How should you present your assets? What questions should you expect from visa officers?
Dr Arun Vakil discusses US tourist visas, study visa and various work visas. He also details the procedure for using Visa Facilitation Services.
Here's a look at how many of the visas they and other top Indian outsourcers used...
Indian outsourcers file the most applications for temporary H-1B visas. Are they using them to train staff for jobs abroad?
Vitamins and minerals are better consumed in a natural form as one advances in age, advises rediffGURU Dr Karthiyayini Mahadevan.