Us Immigration

US orders H-1B spouses, kids to keep social media public from Dec 15

US has ordered H-1B applicants and their H-4 dependants to keep all social-media profiles public, extending mandatory online-presence checks already applied to F, M and J visas

H-1B visas go to average college grads, not skilled workers: Ex-US official

Former US visa officials describe concerns over inflated demand for "specialty" workers, student debt imbalances and alleged fraud in Indian H-1B applications

H-1B applicants: Your LinkedIn profile is now evidence under Trump checks

A new State Department directive warns consular officers to reject applicants found involved in suppressing protected expression, intensifying the Trump administration's crackdown on legal migration

US plans travel ban to 30 countries as Trump admin targets migration

The Trump administration is preparing a broader travel-ban list after the recent Washington shooting, adding to months of rapid shifts in US immigration rules and visa restrictions

PAUSE Act: Freeze all immigration, put Americans first, says US lawmaker

A controversial Bill seeks to halt almost all legal immigration to the United States, overhaul family and work visa categories, and introduce tighter national security restrictions

US green card, asylum cases paused for 19 nations under new Trump order

The Trump administration has ordered an immediate stop to all immigration applications from nationals of 19 travel-ban countries, prompting green card and citizenship setbacks

US visa wait times: Indians benefit as Delhi and Chennai speeds rise

Several Indian cities are reporting shorter US visa wait times this month, with faster movement in student and visitor categories, even as some global posts continue to see long delays

H-1B visa approvals: Amazon, Meta, Microsoft lead, Indian IT faces 70% fall

New NFAP figures show a steep fall in new H-1B approvals for Indian IT companies in FY 2025, while Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Google expanded their hiring

HIRE Act: How the H-1B visa quota may rise to 1,30,000 from 65,000

The Bill, backed by ITServe Alliance, proposes raising the H-1B quota to 1,30,000 and removing the advanced-degree cap as the programme faces steep fees, political pressure and allegations of fraud

US visa not assured, says Trump admin, signalling harder path for students

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said no student is guaranteed a US visa and consular officers can refuse applications on several grounds, even as Indian enrolments continue to grow

Trump admin, judge face off over flights to El Salvador in contempt probe

Two planes carrying Venezuelan migrants out of the US were midair on March 15 when a federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration to turn them around. Instead, the planes landed in El Salvador hours later, touching off an extraordinary power struggle between the judicial and executive branches of the US government over what happened and why the judge's order went unexecuted. That fight entered a critical phase on Friday when US District Judge James Boasberg relaunched an investigation to determine whether the Republican administration deliberately ignored his instruction, letting the planes continue onto El Salvador. The judge previously concluded it did and threatened to have the responsible official or officials prosecuted on a contempt charge. The administration has denied any violation. But an appeals court threw Boasberg's decision out. The contempt probe appeared dead until, in yet another twist, a larger panel of judges on the same appeals court ruled on ...

Trump vows strict curbs on legal migration after White House shooting

Trump's administration remained largely silent on how any of those changes would be made, which countries would be targeted or how sweeping the actions could be

Trump's 'Third World' immigration ban plan: Could India be affected?

Trump's declaration to "permanently pause migration" from "Third World Countries" after the White House shooting has triggered confusion about India's position

Your US green card interview can end in arrest, warn immigration attorneys

Immigration attorneys say ICE is detaining visa overstays during San Diego green card interviews, with spouses of US citizens taken into custody and families shaken

Green card review ordered for people from 19 countries, says USCIS

The US will reassess every green card issued to nationals from 19 "countries of concern" after Trump ordered tougher scrutiny following a shooting in Washington that injured two National Guard members

Lax migration policies top security threat: Trump after 2 Guard troops shot

President Donald Trump said Wednesday's heinous assault on two National Guard members near the White House proves that lax migration policies are the single greatest national security threat facing our nation." No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival, he said. Trump's remarks, released in a video on social media, underscores his intention to reshape the country's immigration system and increase scrutiny of migrants who are already here. With aggressive deportation efforts already underway, his response to the shooting showed that his focus will not waver. The suspect in the shooting is believed to be an Afghan national, according to Trump and two law enforcement officials. He entered the United States in September 2021, after the chaotic collapse of the government in Kabul, when Americans were frantically evacuating people as the Taliban took control. The 29-year-old suspect was part of Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era programme that resettled tens of thousa

US urges Europe, other allies to curb migration, track crimes by immigrants

A leaked cable shows Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling US embassies to push allies to curb migration over crime and public safety concerns

US puts immigration requests from Afghans on hold after Washington shooting

The move comes after two National Guard members were critically injured after a gunman, suspected to be an Afghan national, opened fire on them near the White House

Green card interviews end in handcuffs for spouses of US citizens

Agents are arresting foreign-born spouses when they report for the final step to obtain permanent residency, and charging them with visa violations that could result in deportation

H-1B scam: Chennai okayed 220,000 visas against 85k US cap, says economist

A US economist claims the Chennai consulate issued 220,000 H-1B visas despite America's 85,000 cap, echoing a former diplomat's allegations of widespread fraud