“Are you a US citizen?” That is the question many Indian students arriving in the United States on F-1 visas now hear again and again when they go looking for jobs, according to a report by The New York Times. For nearly 60 years, Indian immigrants have been among America’s biggest success stories. More than 75 percent of Indian American adults hold a college degree, their median household income is higher than any other ethnic group, and they now make up one of the largest sources of skilled workers and foreign students in the country.
Last year, Indians became the single largest group of international students in the US Yet this year, that number fell by 44 percent, a sudden drop that speaks to something more troubling than just some Trump 2.0 policy tweaks.
As visas tighten and political rhetoric grows sharper, many Indian Americans, from retired doctors in Texas to doctoral students in engineering, are beginning to wonder whether the country they helped build still sees them as part of its future.
Indians facing job rejections in the US
Sai Sushma Pasupuleti, a top student from Hyderabad, arrived at the University of Houston in 2023 to pursue a PhD in electrical engineering. Until recently, the plan was simple — study hard, find a job and build a life in the US. The things flipped all of a sudden. Recalling her recent job-hunting experience, she told The New York Times that at a recent job fair she moved from booth to booth with her résumé in hand. Almost every recruiter asked the same question, “Are you a US citizen? When she said no, the conversation stopped there. “They didn’t even look at my résumé,” she told NYT.
Pasupuleti had hoped to study in Germany but didn’t get a scholarship. She received offers from universities in Britain and the United States. America stood out. “A degree from the US makes you a leader,” she said. “People see it as the best.” Now, even if her research leads to a startup, she may still struggle to get a work visa. Europe, she says, might be a safer option.
She does not regret coming to America. But she cannot understand why a country that invests so much in educating students like her seems eager to send them away.
Like Pasupuleti, there are thousands of Indian students in the United States staring at an uncertain future. Although they are generally exempt from paying the new, increased $100,000 H-1B fee when applying for a change of status within the country, the growing wave of anti-India sentiment has become an equally serious concern.
Growing anti-India sentiments in the US
Across the United States, many Indian Americans are sensing a change in the air. Online, the hostility is often blunt and ugly. Social media is flooded with racist slurs, attacks on religion, and claims that Indians cheat their way into the country or steal jobs.
However, according to NYT data and expert views, since immigration laws changed in 1965, hundreds of thousands of Indians moved to the United States. Indian Americans earn more, on average, than white Americans. Nearly three-quarters have a college degree. Many work in medicine, technology, finance and engineering, often in cities like Houston, New York and Silicon Valley.
Indian Americans have led global companies like Google, Microsoft and Pepsi. Some have won Nobel Prizes. In politics, they have become a growing force in both major parties. In the 2024 election cycle, three major presidential candidates had Indian roots.
According to an immigration expert cited by The New York Times, Indian Americans came to represent the success of America’s skilled immigration system, serving as proof that legal immigration could work effectively.