Trump’s order has students in a fix

22.04.2020

Yuvraj Akula  Hyderabad

Telengana Today

Several thousands of Indian students, a majority of them Telugus, who were waiting for the Covid-19 pandemic to end so that they could revive their dreams of pursuing higher education in the United States, have been thrown into uncertainty and confusion with the latest proclamation by US President Donald Trump.

The US government, which has already temporarily suspended immigration citing the pandemic, has now decided to review non-immigrant programmes within 30 days. Though the finer details of the fallout of this exercise are yet to emerge, experts feel this could have a major impact on Indians dreaming of not just pursuing higher education in the US, but also those looking at working there as well, i.e., once the pandemic ends and things get back to normal.

The confusion and uncertainty were triggered by Trump’s proclamation on Wednesday asking authorities to review non-immigrant programmes and recommend appropriate measures to stimulate the US economy, among other measures.

Review in 30 days

“Within 30 days of the effective date of this proclamation, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall review non-immigrant programmes and shall recommend to me other measures appropriate to stimulate the United States economy and ensure the prioritization, hiring, and employment of United States workers,” read a proclamation dated April 22.

(See PAGE 2)

Trump’s order has students in a fix

Most Indians in the US have non-immigrant visas like H-1B visa (temporary work permit for foreigners), student or F1 visa. As per the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a total of 1,16,031 H-1B new or initial petitions were processed in fiscal year 2019. Of the total petitions, 27,707 of them were rejected by the USCIS.

Further, the Open Doors Survey 2019 has revealed that the number of Indian students moving to the US for higher education has increased from 1,96,271 in 2017-18 to 2,02,014 in 2018-19. Statistics show that the number of Indian students moving to US universities has nearly doubled in the last six years from 1,02,673 in 2013-14 to 2,02,014 in 2018-19. Any restrictions to these non-immigrant visas might be detrimental for Indian nationals planning to work or go for higher education in the US, say education and visa experts here.

“The move by Trump is more of an election strategy as the US Presidential election is slated to be held at the end of the year. He is trying to create a vote base by issuing this kind of order,” a city-based US education expert said.

Trump has also signed orders temporarily suspending immigration into the US. This means the US government will not issue permanent residence or green cards for 60 days. The move is purportedly aimed at keeping foreigners away from taking jobs in the US and giving priority to locals.

According to statistics available with the US Department of Homeland Security, as many as 53,707 Indians obtained lawful permanent resident status or green cards in 2019. “The order on suspension of immigration, though worrisome, might not be actually harming the cause of green card applicants. It will at best delay their cause by 60 days. But what is more worrisome is the possible extension of such a ban to other visa classes, viz., H-1B, H-2B or even F1 visa under which STEM students are allowed a three-year Optional Practical Training (OPT) period and non-STEM students a one-year OPT period,” IMFS Hyderabad director Ajaya Kumar Vemulapati said.

Students and education/visa consultancies, already hit hard by the Covid-19 triggered lockdown, are now scanning media reports from the US on the internet to know how the two orders could exactly impact their future and dreams