In Charts: The Great Indian American Dream falls under Donald Trump

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. US President Donald Trump. (Bloomberg) Summary Indians, who look at the US for better education, work and lives, have faced heat since Donald Trump came to power. Mint breaks down the latest trends. Besides rates, the problem that has defined the current US administration is perhaps immigration. Since the recycling office in January, President Donald Trump has strengthened the hard policy on US borders and visas. The oppression itself is not new. The Joe Biden Administration has also sharpened rules in response to public discomfort over high immigration, but under Trump the pitch of restrictions became sharper. It affected many Indian aspirants with the American dream. Mint is investigating the latest trends in US visa issues. Study: Standing ambitions The hardest hit among US visa seekers are prospective students in the world’s largest economy. The number of US F-1 student visas issued to Indians fell by 31.2% between January and May 2025 to just 11,484. This decline was significantly steeper than the 11.8% decline for Chinese students, a group that was the largest source of student fish in the same period. In general, the issuance of student visa had a decline of 17%. In addition to less release, the Trump administration was more aggressive in ending visas, even for minor offenses. “The administration has basically ended the visa status of many students due to a minor) offense in the past, even if it has been rejected, although this is not happening anymore,” says Cyrus Mehta, founder of Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners, a New York immigration firm. In addition, the outlook for the second half of 2025 remains gloomy due to recent delays caused by a month-long break on visa interviews and new social media selection for all applicants. Work: Hazy Terrain Indian Nationals were issued during January to May 2025 63.323 H-1B work visas, which are 11.1% less than in the same period in 2024. However, despite the decline, Indians still hold a lion’s share in this segment at 74.8% of all H-1B. China (11.3%) and the Philippines (1.3%) are relatives. The H-1B visa is a visa that is not an immigrant, allowing US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialized professions. The critics of the Visa argue that it undermines the employability of American workers; The supporters claim to help attract the best world talent to the US. The Trump administration, which has a motto of ‘Make America Great Again’ and promised more work for Americans, made H-1B visa releases. The US government has steadily increased H-1B registration fees for 2025-26 and is also deleting the existing lottery system in favor of salary-based choices that can detect entry-level graduates. Travel: Still visitor visas, which are largely used for tourism and business, have not yet experienced similar disruptions. In fact, India became the largest source market in the post-Kovid period and remained until May 2025. Between October and May 2025, B-1/B-2 visa release to Indians increased by 484,613 a year-on-year, even because the total number of visitors to the US fell 1.8% annually during this period. In recent years, more Indians have visited the US, which coincided with India’s post-pandemic travel boom. Before the pandemic, China was the largest source of visitors to the US; In post-pandemic years, India has caught up China. While Brazil saw the largest travel visa issue in 2023-24 (October-September), India went through in 2024-25 (from October to May) to record the highest B-1/B-2 visa issue. But continue, all travelers and students must have an extra $ 250 in visa fees, from October, cough, which can affect the numbers. Elite talent: Despite the decline in the overall immigration situation in the US, the opportunities for top talent – the crème de la crème. One such event is through the U-1 Visa course, a three-year temporary work visa for individuals who show extraordinary ability or performance in their territories. It has received a traction among foreign citizens, including Indians. While it is more expensive and selective, it provides a path to work in the US without the uncertainty of the H-1B laptop system. And the release of U-1 visas is increasing. Issuing to Indians climbed to 687 in January 2025, from just 198 in the same period in 2018. From the 8.202 visas released in 2025, Indians were the third largest nationality after the British (1.228) and the Chinese (707) to secure them. Besides extraordinary talent, money can also open an easy path to the US. The Trump administration recently proposed the ‘Gold Card’ program offering to grant wealthy foreign citizens permanent residence and citizenship in exchange for an investment of $ 5 million. Economic Impact: Future Time? The second lead of the Trump administration has increased many previous policies, and the aggressive visa rules have led to sharp criticism of several quarters as well as legal challenges. In addition, there is a sharp economic impact associated with the reduction of international students’ entry into the US. Provisional forecasts of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, an American non-profit organization that detects international education, indicates that the US can see more than 170,000 fewer foreign students in 2025-26 (Oct-Sep). This could lead to nearly $ 7 billion in lost revenue and the country costs 60,000 posts in towns with local universities. While Indians are still interested in practicing education in the US, they also keep other options open against the current background. “Families are expanding their horizons, with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Japan and Singapore, all of whom as strong considerations arise,” said Namita Mehta, president and partner at the Red Pen. Catch all the education news and updates on live currency. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates and live business news. More Topics #indian Students #Donald Trump #US Visa #H-1B Visa #In Cards Read Next Story