Tightening US immigration rules are pushing tens of thousands of Indian professionals and students into uncertainty, with visa delays, job insecurity, and stalled green card applications, according to Arathi Krishna, AICC secretary in charge of Overseas Indian Congress and foreign affairs.
Speaking to Dhanam, Krishna said the scale of the problem requires the central government to move beyond routine consular responses and adopt a more strategic and sustained advocacy approach. “Indians are the largest group of skilled workers and students in the US. Their concerns cannot be addressed through ad hoc interventions alone,” she said.
Krishna, who is also the deputy chairman of the Karnataka NRI Forum, said restrictions on H-1B visas, long green card backlogs, and delays in student visa processing are creating deep anxiety among Indian migrants.
She said migration and mobility issues must be taken up through formal and institutionalised India–US strategic dialogue platforms, with consistent engagement when immigration policies are debated in the US Congress and federal agencies. “If Indian students and professionals are not part of that conversation, policy outcomes will continue to hurt them,” she said.
Krishna also called for skilled migration to be positioned as a strategic advantage for both countries, noting that Indian talent is deeply embedded in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing—areas central to US global competitiveness.
Having spent over a decade in the US as a student, homemaker, and staffer at the Indian embassy in Washington DC, Krishna said her views are shaped by direct experience. She later returned to her native Karnataka.
At the operational level, Krishna stressed the need for stronger consular outreach. Indian missions in the US, she said, should expand dedicated helpdesks to address visa delays, SEVIS compliance issues, and the transition from student visas to work permits.
She also pointed to the growing influence of the Indian-American community. Professionals, business leaders, and lawmakers of Indian origin can raise concerns from within the US political system, while greater engagement with younger, second-generation Indian-Americans entering public service and policy roles could strengthen long-term advocacy.
At the same time, Krishna said India must reduce its over-dependence on the US as a destination for students and skilled workers. Expanding pathways to Europe, Australia, Japan, and other emerging global hubs would help diversify opportunities and reduce risk.
India should also position itself as a credible return option for professionals affected by tightening global immigration regimes, she said. Fast-tracking reintegration, easing regulatory hurdles, and offering targeted incentives for startups, research, and innovation-led careers could help attract skilled Indians back home.