Targeting H-1B holders poses economic risks to US: Indiaspora

Houston: Warning against rising anti-Indian rhetoric during the election season and proposed immigration curbs, non-profit organisation Indiaspora has cautioned that targeting H-1B visa holders could pose serious economic risks to the United States.

In a statement issued on October 30, the non-partisan group expressed concern over political efforts to demonise Indian-origin professionals, who play a key role in sectors such as healthcare, technology, and education.

“H-1B workers from India have helped make America the world’s innovation leader, generating billions for the American economy. Driving them away could have very serious consequences for communities nationwide, from major cities to small towns,” said Sanjeev Joshipura, Executive Director of Indiaspora.

The diaspora organisation raised an alarm over proposed regulatory measures, including petition fees exceeding USD 1,00,000 for high-tech and healthcare employers, replacing the randomised lottery with a wage-weighted mechanism that could disadvantage early-career graduates, and scrapping the 60-day grace period for laid-off foreign workers.

It also flagged proposals to freeze H-4 spousal work permits (EAD) and impose fees up to USD 70,000 on Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM extensions.

Indiaspora stressed that foreign professionals, particularly rural physicians and teachers in under-resourced areas like the Mississippi Delta, help fill critical workforce gaps that domestic hiring cannot immediately address.

Urging leaders across the political spectrum to reject anti-Indian rhetoric, the organisation warned that scapegoating foreign talent for short-term political gains could hurt the US economy and undermine the strategic bilateral partnership between the US and India.

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