Indian Expats in the US Face Risk of Return as Visa Rule Changes Threaten Stay
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Thousands of Indians living legally in America, who had come to America as minors, are also facing danger. These people had got the opportunity to live in America on H-4 visa.
In fact, H-4 visa is given to children below 21 years of age of H1-B visa holders living in America. But according to the new US immigration rules, H-4 visa holders will not be valid as dependents of H1-B visa holders after completing 21 years of age. Many people are already looking for alternatives. Some people are preparing to go to countries like Canada, Britain, where the policies regarding settlement are a little flexible. According to the data of March 2023, there are about 1.34 lakh Indian children in America, whose age limit is about to be completed and their families have not got green card. The process of getting permanent residency in the US immigration system is very long and it takes 12 to 100 years. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services Department has recently announced the registration period for H-1B visa. This process is going to run from March 7 to March 24 only.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Service has started the registration process for the financial year 2026. The process will run from March 7 to March 24. Let us tell you that H1-B is a non-immigrant visa, which is used to hire foreign nationals in American companies. The cap of H1-B visa is still fixed at 65 thousand per year. However, the new registration fee is $ 215. US Senator Bernie Sanders had raised questions on H1-B visa earlier this year. He had said that this is taking away the jobs of Americans.
Let us tell you that H-1B visa is for those who are non-immigrants. Under this, American companies are allowed to give jobs to foreigners. These jobs are given on the basis of technical and subject expertise. Now the problem here is that only 65 thousand H-1B visas can be issued every year. Apart from these, this visa can be issued to 20 thousand such people who have taken masters degree in America itself. Now to prevent the possibility of fraud in this also, America has tightened its policies. According to an estimate, there are about 1.34 lakh Indians who are about to turn 21 years old and their families do not have green card.
