Trump's H1B visa policy will again make the path of students in the US difficult

 Donald Trump will take oath as the President of America on 20 January this month. After Trump's return to power in America, the America First policy will get a boost, because Donald Trump has been opposing the H-1B visa, which will increase the visa rejection rate. This will affect the future of students from all over the world, including India. Will their employment opportunities in America decrease during their studies? Trump's opposition to the H-1B visa and the change in visa rules under his administration will create many new crises for Indian students and professionals, apart from this, it cannot be called a good sign regarding the future of students from other countries.

Actually, the H-1B visa is a temporary working visa, which provides an opportunity to work to professionals who have received higher education and expertise in the US. This visa is specifically for those individuals who have special knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) fields. The biggest advantage of the H-1B visa is that it allows the visa holder to work in the US for a fixed period (mostly three years) and his family is also given some special rights, but with the arrival of Trump, these rights will be cut.

Donald Trump's America First approach is sure to change the visa policy. From the last term itself, he believed that H-1B visa holders should be replaced with US citizens to work in the US. In 2017, when Trump took over the presidency, he tightened the H-1B visa policy and called this policy a threat to American workers. He said that Indians and people from other countries come to work in the US, but they limit employment opportunities for American citizens. Due to this policy of his, the rejection rate of H-1B visa applications had increased. In such a situation, when Donald Trump has returned to power in America, it will definitely increase the problems for students and professionals from other countries including India. Due to Trump's policies towards H-1B visa, many problems will arise not only for Indian students but also for students from all over the world.

Every year, about 1 million students from all over the world go to America for higher education. Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a program that gives international students an opportunity to learn work for a limited period after studies. The American H-1B visa was started in 1990. Currently, initially this visa is given for three years, but its duration can be extended to six years. Since 2004, the number of H-1B visas issued every year was limited to 85 thousand, out of which 20 thousand visas are given to those foreign students who have a master's or higher degree from American universities. The rejection rate of H-1B visa was the highest during Trump's first term. Between October 2017 and September 2018, this rate had reached 24 percent.

If Trump continues with his policy, it may shatter the dream of Indian students, especially those in STEM fields, to work in the US. Due to the increased rejection rate, students will find it difficult to establish their careers in the US and may consider their education and professional journey in other countries. A major part of Trump's "America First" approach is that he wants US companies to give preference to US citizens over foreign working visa holders. This will make it difficult for Indian students to get a job in the US. It is already challenging to get an H-1B visa to work in the US and it will become even more complicated under Trump's administration. As a result, Indian students will have fewer opportunities to work permanently in the US, forcing them to look for opportunities in other countries.

There is a large group of international students working in the US, especially in STEM fields. Many companies hesitated to take foreign workers during Trump's reign and were directed to give preference to American workers. If Trump becomes president again, such policies may get more stringent, which may reduce employment opportunities for Indian students there. This is likely to lead to more Indian students moving to other countries, such as Canada, Australia, and European countries, to work there. The number of students coming to the US for higher education has increased in the last few years. Trump becoming president may lead to a decrease in the number of students, as students from India and other countries may be uncertain about the visa rules and employment opportunities in the US. This will also harm American universities, as they will lose revenue from international students. Due to Trump's stringent visa rules, a large group of students studying in the US will be motivated to move to other countries. Students from India will be forced to turn to European countries, Australia, and Canada, where visa rules are more flexible, this will be a big blow to the US higher education system, as it has always remained a major attraction for students.

If Trump's policies reduce opportunities to study and work in the US, then the only option left for Indian students will be to seek opportunities in countries like Canada and Australia. Visa policies in these countries are more flexible and the attractiveness of these countries for higher education has also increased. For Indian students, studying in local universities of Indian and other countries instead of studying in the US can be a good option. Also, with the growing trend of online education, students can get new opportunities to get education globally. For now, it will be important to see how Trump takes a stand on the visa policy after coming to power. Everything will depend on that.