H-1B Visa Holders: No Option But To Come Back To India

When Parmod landed in India with his family on February 17, he didn’t know that a short visit to his home country would translate into a harrowing 8-month-long stay.

His return to Michigan and his future in the US now depends on the outcome of the November 3 polls.

Pramod, like other H-1B visa holders affected by President Trump's flip-flops on the long-term work visa, is keeping a close eye on the ongoing American presidential elections.

Pramod said, “ It's a daily thing now. It's worrisome. I don't want to go to another nation. Coming back to India is my only option. I don't know what I will do here, but I will have to build my life from scratch."

Trump signed an Executive Order on June 22, barring the entry of H-1B, L-1, and J1 visa holders till the end of the year. The 40-year-old, who has spent nearly 13 years in the US, said he would want to see Biden as the next US president. "Biden is good. But I don't want to keep my hopes up," he said.

Things are no different for those who are in the US. Jeya Ganesh said the fear among visa holders is clear and the policy changes have become a hot topic of discussion.

”Trump is using the pandemic to achieve his long-standing goal to limit immigration," he said.

Many H-1B visa holders, according to Jeya Ganesh, are wishing for a Biden win. Throughout his 4-year term, Trump has vowed to curb both legal and illegal immigration to the US. His opponent, on the other side, has promised to be less harsh with the foreign workers.

At a fundraising event in September, Biden had said he was ready to revoke the H-1B ban as soon as he was elected.