Trump 2.0 sparks concern in India about restrictions on movement of skilled workers to US
Experts say Trump’s administration could reintroduce tougher immigration policies and pull back on the H-1B visa for skilled professionals
Donald Trump’s return to the White House is sparking concerns that his hardline immigration policies could disrupt the mobility of India’s skilled workers and threaten US industries reliant on global talent.
Poorvi Chothani, managing partner at LawQuest, a global immigration law firm operating in both India and the United States, expressed concerns that a Trump 2.0 administration could reintroduce policies unfavourable to Indian IT companies and skilled professionals.
“A Trump-led government may increase visa denials and reduce opportunities for family-based immigration, impacting Indian nationals and businesses,” she wrote in a piece for The Economic Times in India earlier this month, citing Trump-era policies that limited work authorisations for visa holders’ family members in the US that disrupted the lives of thousands already settled there.
Indian professionals have long been the primary beneficiaries of the H-1B visa programme, which grants skilled workers in specialised fields – such as technology and medicine – a pathway to employment and eventual US citizenship.
Indian companies in the US, along with tech giants including Amazon and Intel, are able to hire highly educated and skilled immigrants through the programme. But with Trump reinstating his “America First” policy, there are fears that immigration could become a contentious issue for these workers.
During his first term, Trump described the H1-B programme as “very bad” and labelled it “unfair” to US workers. His appointment of top adviser Stephen Miller – a hardliner on immigration issues – as deputy chief of staff for policy has also raised concerns among legal experts.
