Is American Dream Turning To Nightmare
Until sometime back our youth used to think about the famous ‘ American Dream ‘ . But with the present scenario this dream has started turning into a nightmare .
Our graduates, especially engineering graduates, used to land on American land with F1 student visas . Some of them were from elite colleges and universities like IITs, IIMs . While a few might have been lucky to get full or partial scholarships from the U.S universities, most might have paid a huge sum for their upcoming post graduation at the US universities known as M.S ( Master of Science ) in the U.S . Many of their youths / parents might have had to take out loans or sell or mortgage properties too . But this didn’t bother them as the repayment of the loan was easy as usually they got a job after finishing studies . But this is not going to be so easy or it won’t be wrong to say it’s too hard for most of them now .
Why might our youth’s dreams turn into a nightmare ?
When a young Indian graduate entered into any American university with a F1 visa for his/ her MS , he/ she could finish MS in less than two years . Some may prefer to study further and enroll in any Ph D course and stay further on F1 visa . After completion of their Visas they are supposed to leave the USA unless they have a job in hand here . After their MS they used to get a grace period to stay in the USA on OPT ( optional practical training ) and EAD ( employment authorisation document ) card from the USCIS ( United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ) . OPT allowed them to work in the USA from one year to three years . In the meantime they had ample opportunities to obtain a H1b visa which allowed them to stay for three years ( renewable further ) . After renewal of H1b visa one has to go to the US embassy / consulate in their home country to get it stamped in passports . This becomes necessary if one has to go to their home country. Without stamping in their home country they can’t reenter into the USA . Until 2004 , it was done in the USA itself . H1b holders and their dependents are facing a tough time for stamping . There is a long wait for appointments at the embassy / consulates in India , besides it’s taking a longer time to get stamped .Longer stays in India away from the workplace aren't welcome by their employers either . Many are forced to stay in the USA even in the worst case at home . All these add to worries of H1b holders and their dependents .
H1b ( a temporary non immigration visa ) is mainly consumed by STEM ( science , technology engineering and Maths ) in the IT sector , dominated by Indians . Besides H1b dependents wives who are also usually qualified B.Tech or otherwise in STEM get H4 dependent visa . They too subsequently get EAD to work in the USA .Here also Indians were major beneficiaries .Thus even if they came to the US after getting loans in India , they could repay by remittances in dollars to India .
Under the present scenario it seems aliens on various non immigration and immigration Visas are exposed to bigger surveillance . Even a minute wrongdoing knowingly / unknowingly can expose them to danger of scrutiny / cancellation of Visa or even deportation .
The US issues 65000 H1b visas annually besides 20000 H1b by lottery . But in the prevailing scenario , getting a H1b visa has been a tough task because of various restrictions . Usually most of the beneficiaries of H1b visa are Indians ( nearly 72% in 2024 , followed by the Chinese 12 %) . There were nearly 7.8 lakh H1b applications in FY 2024 compared to less than nearly 4.8 lakhs in FY 2025 . Huge drop in applications shows the charm of H1b is disappearing . There are reasons including administrative and financial aspects .
Earlier employers used to pay H1b workers low wages , subsequently they were under regulations to pay more wages . This made hardship for employers and many jobs are done economically offshore . Getting OPT then H1b and then EAD for their spouses is a distant dream . Now there are many changes and / or proposals on radar which discourage employers from filing H1b applications . There is a proposal to discontinue OPT . So any fresh graduate will have to think a dozen times before coming to the USA without a firm H1b visa . Earlier even most IITians used to come on F1 study visa only and they were fortunate to get OPT followed by H1b and then green card ( which is a Permanent Legal Resident card ) and their dream US citizenship . Now there is already a long waiting period for the green card and their future is uncertain . Many are thinking of relocating ( some might have relocated already ) to other better options . Though revoking of OPT is a proposal and it’s against the business interests of many companies , especially the IT sector , risk of at least some regulations restricting OPT is always there .
This is not bad only for our youth, This is a setback for India's economy also . Overseas Indians including green card holders , Indian Americans or H1b non citizens remit every year to their homes in India or invest in Indian business or properties . India on average received remittances of around 129 billion dollars in the last fiscal year . A major part of it ( nearly 28 % from the USA , rest from the UK , Canada , Singapore , Saudi Arabia , UAE and others ) comes from the Indians residing in the USA . There is a proposal to levy 5 % tax on such remittances which will further make loan repayment harder for Indians .
It’s not only the USA but other developed nations are also making it harder for Indians to immigrate / find a job by revising their policies . It is the right time for our government and our youths to adjust to new situations by adopting / exploring new opportunities at home .
