US is the largest market for the over $140 billion Indian IT services industry
'For the Indian economy to maintain a growth rate of 7 to 8 per cent, it needs large foreign direct investment coming in, and that's mainly coming from the US.'
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.
As Indian-origin entrepreneur and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy pulled out of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), just 69 days after he was announced the co-head of the team along with tech billionaire Elon Musk, a report has revealed that it was the Tesla CEO who wanted Ramaswamy 'out' of the team.
Unless something changes, Mr Trump is a huge threat right now, which is perhaps not being recognised fully, cautions Debashis Basu.
Also looks at setting up development and training centres in the US to tide over visa-related issues
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.
'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.
Indians have topped the number of illegal immigrants from Asian countries caught at land, sea, and air checkpoints of the US since 2022.
'As the global economy undergoes significant transformations in 2025, India's ability to navigate the complexities of trade wars, financial realignments, and emerging blocs will be pivotal,' explain Harsh V Pant and Soumya Bhowmik.
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.
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.
A strident bill concerning US work visas for non-US citizens has been re-introduced before the US Senate. A look at the bill.
Business leaders tell Congress that to attract and retain the best minds, the U.S. must keep the doors open to immigrants
Outsourcing expert Ron Hira says that there are huge misconceptions about how the US worker visa programme operates.
Those on H-1B visas have to find a new job within 60 days or head back to India.
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.
'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.'
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...
'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.'
Indian outsourcers file the most applications for temporary H-1B visas. Are they using them to train staff for jobs abroad?
Illegal immigration, he said, has resulted in crime, corruption and inflation.
But there is no unanimity within the Obama Administration on this issue that has the potential to jeopardise the Indo-US business ties.
Indian and Indian-American IT businesses are being scapegoated for abuse of the visa programme - using it for cheap, immobile labour - that actually pervades the entire industry.
During his presidential campaign, Obama had pledged to make comprehensive immigration reform a top priority in his first year as President.
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.
Slamming American immigration policies, Microsoft boss Bill Gates has said the US was shutting the door on the best and the brightest at a time when the country needed it the most.
Here are list of some of the big ticket announcements.
rediffGURU Geeta Ratra offers expert advice on international courses, student visas and immigration processes.
The EAM when asked about his view of the world at present, said it would be "very grim forecast, for the next five years".
Tanvi Marupally from Conway, Arkansas was last seen in her neighbourhood on January 17 when she left for school on the bus, the Conway police department said.
With the third and final round of layoffs implemented by Facebook's parent company Meta Platforms, Inc. in process globally, India, too, has seen its impact, with some senior executives being asked to leave. Some of the executives to have been impacted are Avinash Pant, India's director of marketing; Saket Jha Sourabh, director and head of media partnerships; and Amrita Mukherjee, one of the directors on the legal team. An email sent to the company did not elicit any comment on the development until the time of going to press.
The US has announced that individuals travelling to the country on a business or tourist visa - B-1 and B-2 - can apply for new jobs and even appear in interviews, but the prospective employees must ensure that they have changed their visa status before starting a new role. B-1 and B-2 visas are generally referred to as "B visas", and they are the most common types of visa issued for a wide range of uses in the United States. The B-1 visa is issued mainly for short-term business trips, while the B-2 visa is issued mainly travelling for tourism purposes.
