Employees, Students, Dependants and Visitors From India Face Growing US Immigration Hurdles Under Trump Administration

Hyderabad: The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has increasingly extended beyond undocumented migrants, creating new hurdles for people who enter the United States legally on H-1B work visas, H-4 dependent visas, F-1 student visas and B-1/B-2 visitor visas.

Over the past year, the administration has introduced higher fees, tougher visa screening, tighter interview rules and stricter enforcement, and is planning on making more changes to the rules.

For H-1B workers, one of the biggest changes has been the introduction of a $100,000 payment for certain new H-1B petitions filed after September 21 last year. The measure created uncertainty for employers and foreign workers, particularly Indians, who account for a large share of H-1B holders.

Although the move was put on hold by the courts, in August 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also proposed another $103,265 fee for H-1B petitions. This remains a proposal, rather than a universally applicable fee.

The administration has also introduced a wage-weighted H-1B selection system for FY2027, giving higher-paid positions more weight in the selection process. The process makes it harder for lower-paid, early-career workers, along with smaller employers to compete in the job market.

H-1B workers were also facing greater scrutiny at visa renewal. Since December 2025, H-1B applicants and their dependents have been subjected to expanded online presence reviews, with applicants instructed to list all of their social media profiles and keep them public or open. While USCIS has stated the move is to look for threats and anti-social elements, many advocacy groups have raised their voices concerning privacy violations.

H-4 holders, who are the spouses of H-1B holders, have another major concern with the administration proposing to end employment authorisation, also known as the H-4 Employment Authorisation Document (EAD).

The proposal would reverse the 2015 rule that allowed certain spouses of H-1B workers to obtain an EAD, which allowed them to work and contribute to their household. It has particular significance for Indian families, where many H-4 spouses have built careers in the US.

The proposal has not yet ended existing H-4 work rights, but it has created uncertainty over future employment. Mounika, an H-4 holder living in Missouri, said: “My husband has filed for permanent residency, and I got an EAD to sustain our family. There are a lot of filing and procedural expenses during a green card process, and I have been trying to do my best to be an earning member too, but the government is now planning on scrapping the program entirely. I just don't know what to do.”

International students have faced some of the most visible changes.

The biggest change implemented against students is with the removal of duration of status (D/S). Previously, students could stay in the United States as long as they continue their education. But the new rules, which are set to be implemented from September 15, puts a hard cap on 04 years of eligibility or the duration of their course, whichever is lower.

The rule has faced opposition from social groups. NAFSA and a group of educational and labor organisations filed a lawsuit on August 18, seeking to block the implementation due to concerns over administrative burdens and serious negative impacts on higher education enrollment.

Additionally, in 2025, the State Department temporarily halted the scheduling of new student and exchange-visitor visa appointments while preparing expanded social-media screening.

F-1 applicants are now subject to online presence reviews as well, increasing concerns about whether social-media activity could affect visa decisions. The administration has also revoked visas and pursued immigration action against some foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, creating wider concerns over political expression and immigration status.

Not only immigrants and students, but tourists and business travellers have also been caught in the tightening immigration system.

The administration introduced a visa-bond programme, under which travellers may have to deposit $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 before receiving a B-1 or B-2 visa. The money can be returned if the traveller follows the conditions of the bond and leaves on time.

The US has also sharply reduced interview-waiver eligibility. From October 2025, most non-immigrant visa applicants generally require an in-person interview, with only limited exceptions, including certain B-1/B-2 renewals.

Another major change requires applicants to seek non-immigrant visas in their country of nationality or usual residence, reducing the ability to shop around for appointments in countries with shorter queues.

The Trump administration stated that the tightening of rules is to strengthen security, along with not allowing potential overstayers.

“These changes will ensure that DHS has an effective mechanism to periodically and directly assess whether these nonimmigrants are complying with the conditions of their classifications and US immigration laws, and to obtain timely and accurate information about the activities these aliens have engaged in and plan to engage in during their temporary stay in the United States”, DHS said.