The curb on H1-B visa rules affected not only the computer programmers but also to the students who want to study and settle in the US. There are many such examples nowadays, coming to the consultants, and they are trying to convince the students and their parents in their way, by changing the mind of students to opt for other countries such as Canada and Ireland.
Rahul Kolli was ready to pursue his Master’s degree in data science in the US with an Rs2.7 million student loan to get admitted to Michigan Technological University.
Then after, Donald Trump was elected president and promised a decrement in work visas that he says affected salaries for local Americans. Resultantly, Kolli changed his mind and instead heading to Ireland for the University of Dublin. He added, also the total cost of the budget would be half as for in the US.
According to Rohit Madhav, a 27-year-old SAP consultant, the main reason could be the recent attacks on Indians in America that made his parents worried about his stay in America. They’ve asked him to choose a place beyond the US, to Canada, New Zealand and also consider local institutions.
Such situations are showing a decrement in applications at some US universities as Indians reconsider their choice to study abroad, powered by the success of immigrants like Sun Microsystems Inc. Co-Founder, Vinod Khosla and Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer at Google Inc. Now, safety and uncertainty of employment are being considered in place as the Trump administration begins to tighten rules for the H-1B visa program that is used more by Indians than any other countries people.
Madhav, a Mumbai-based aspirant who wants to pursue a degree in management and has got a loan sanctioned for his studies, states that “The recent incidents of racist’s attacks on Indians are also dangerous, if I stay back in the US for work, then only I can repay the loan debt in almost two-to-three years. But, if I come back to India for work then it may take me seven-to-eight years.”
A path to employment is critical for many Indians who whirl around loans, scholarships and family savings to fund their abroad studies.
Foreign students in the US can enroll themselves for up to a year of practical training, extendable only to those with qualifications in certain science, engineering or mathematics arena. Around 75% of Indian students pursue such degrees, this gives them a better chance of searching for full-time jobs and getting one of a limited number of H-1B visas issued every year.
During the Trump’s presidential campaign, he called the H-1B a “cheap labour program.”
His administration on 31 March had issued new rules that more information would be required now from computer programmers who are applying for H-1Bs in order to prove the jobs that require advanced knowledge and experience. Several new bills have also been introduced by Lawmakers that would suppress wider reforms.
Also Read: 10 things to know about H1-B visa
According to a survey of 250+ US higher education providers by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and partner organizations, the greater effect has been on applications from India to undergraduate programs as over 26% of institutions in a recent survey seen a downfall from India, while 15% have seen a fall at the graduate level.
Among those downfalls, Canada seems to be the most preferred alternative, said Vijay Sricharan, Chennai-based business head at Manya Education Pvt. Ltd,
From 2010-11, the UK witnessed numbers drop up to half of the student from India to about 19,485 in 2014-15, according to data compiled on IIE’s website, after the strict post-study visa rules. In 2009, a series of racist attacks in Australia on Indian students, saw numbers fall to 19,238 in 2010 from the preceding year’s 26,398.
Akshay Kumar, a student from Varanasi is in his final year of an engineering degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. An attack in Kansas—which killed Indian engineer and got wounded his friend, scared his parents.
A feeling of becoming the US a racist country where Indians aren’t welcome would be a crucial affect for colleges who are trying to attract foreign students, said Karan Gupta, a Mumbai based student advisory service owner. He said that there’s no indication of that now and one can’t judge the country by the actions of some people,.
Sushma Swaraj, the Indian external affairs minister noted in Parliament last month that American authorities have responded strictly to the attacks.
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