The Indian going abroad to work has always been a mutually beneficial phenomenon – ambitious Indians looking for a better income and lifestyle get what they want and corporations and enterprises abroad have access to a diligent, well trained work force that may be willing to work harder perhaps for less remuneration. Increasingly, however, Indians are finding it more and more difficult to work abroad – they are finding it difficult to get work Visas or are finding it difficult to stay on for various reasons.
There is a strong anti-immigrant sentiment in some segments of the American population; not least because it is a sentiment often voiced by President Donald Trump. The Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA has been scrapped; resulting in hundreds of thousands of futures now being in jeopardy.
They are commonly referred to as the H4 Dreamers (H4 is the dependent Visa issued to dependent children of those with H1B visas) and if their parents are not permanent residents or citizens by the time they turn 21, they would be asked to leave the country. This ‘ageing-out’ phenomenon could affect nearly 1.5 highly skilled professionals.
There is a huge backlog of applications pending for Green Cards in the United States of America. The applications are many but the number of cards issued is small.
The children of H1B Visa holders also have limited educational options. For instance the children of immigrants would not have the same advantages as their American counterparts and would not be able to get admission into medical colleges since loans and scholarships are made available only to permanent residents.
Indians who had chosen to go abroad to explore greener pastures are now choosing to return home. According to recruiting agencies in India, the NRIs are returning from the US, Gulf, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and so on and are looking for jobs back home and there has recently been a surge of such job applications.
Protectionist regimes
With anti immigrant leaders such as Donald Trump at the helm and events such as Brexit working to make the atmosphere hostile to immigrants, Indians working abroad face practical difficulties. There has been an overall trend of protectionism in developed nations born out of paranoia that immigrants would 'steal' jobs and resources that ‘rightfully’ belong to those who came earlier.
Countries such as the United States are making it more expensive for companies to hire overseas professionals. Job redundancies in specific industries mean downsizing and immigrants are hurt as much if not more than permanent residents. All in all, many Indians are choosing to hedge their bets and cut their losses. They are choosing to return to India while their overseas experience enhances their chances of getting good jobs in India. They can always tell themselves – home is where the heart is.
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