India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi: The United States has announced sweeping changes to the H-1B visa programme for foreign workers. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled a proposed "Weighted Selection Process" aimed at prioritising higher-paid and higher-skilled foreign employees. The H-1B lottery for 2027 is set to be drastically different. Employers now face a $100,000 petition fee per worker. The new proposal further changes the visa selection mechanism. The DHS published the proposal, titled 'Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap Subject H-1B Petitions', in the Federal Register on September 24, 2025. Public comments and feedback have been invited. The objective is higher-skilled and higher-wage positions get preference. Lower-paying jobs and positions with fewer skill requirements may see reduced chances of securing visas. At present, employers register electronically for each foreign worker they intend to hire. If selected randomly in the H-1B lottery, employers can file cap-subject petitions. The lottery is purely random. Beneficiaries are foreign employees, and petitioners are US companies. Under the proposed system, the lottery moves from random selection to weighted selection. Employers offering higher wages or hiring for higher-skilled positions receive an advantage. Wage levels, defined by the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), determine ranking. Workers at OEWS wage Level IV get four entries in the H-1B selection pool, Level III three, Level II two and Level I one. Each worker counts only once toward visa allocation, no matter how many entries they have. The proffered wage, or the wage the employer intends to pay, is the primary factor in ranking. The goal is to allocate limited visas to higher-skilled and higher-value positions. The H-1B programme issues 85,000 visas annually, including 20,000 reserved for holders of advanced U.S. degrees. The weighted system favours higher-wage and higher-skilled employees. Lower-paying or lower-skill positions may no longer secure visas easily. The $100,000 petition fee adds another hurdle. Employers will now weigh the cost of filing against potential talent needs. Both the fee and the weighted selection process are expected to reshape the H-1B landscape starting with the 2027 visa season. American companies and foreign professionals face a fundamentally altered path to employment in the United States.
New Delhi: Harvard University economist Kenneth Rogoff on Wednesday said the high tariffs on several countries, including India, and the steep H-1B visa fee hike imposed by the Trump administration will hold back the US economic growth. US President Donald Trump's decision to increase the application fee for H-1B visas is expected to impact Indian nationals, who accounted for almost 70 per cent of all such visas issued in the last few years. "The new visa rules were done in a very haphazard manner and not in a very thoughtful way. The visas for high-skilled workers should be given very liber ...Read More >
Mumbai: The rupee depreciated 47 paise to hit an all-time low of 88.75 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, amid sustained outflow of foreign funds on the back of a steep hike in US H-1B visa fee that is expected to give a big blow to Indian IT services exports. Forex traders said the rupee dwindled towards record low levels as market participants analysed the likely repercussions of the new USD 100,000 H-1B visa levy, which could precipitate a slowdown in remittance growth and curtail service exports to the US. Moreover, risk aversion in domestic markets may also pressurise the r ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Trump administration's clarification that the high H-1B visa fee does not apply to international students studying in the US on F-1 visa is expected to revive Indian students' interest in pursuing higher education in the US after a slump, experts said. The US has been historically the most favourite international destination for Indian students, but there was a clear dip in sentiments, especially among parents, after the US announced a $100,000 fee for fresh H-1B work visa applications, study abroad consultants said. Monday's clarification that the one-time fee applies only to ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 27: The US Embassy in India has issued a strict warning for all visa applicants regarding social media disclosures on their DS-160 visa application forms. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), the embassy stated, "Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas." All applicants are now required to list every social media username or handle they've used in the last five years -- regardless of whether the accounts are still active. This mandate is part of broader vetting procedures implemented by the US State Department to stren ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) Indian students, tourists, business travellers and those working in technology firms planning to head to the United States may soon have to pay more than double the existing visa fee due to a new 'visa integrity fee' being imposed by the US, according to immigration service consultants. The 'visa integrity fee' finds a mention in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' (now an Act) signed by President Donald Trump on July 4. Immigration domain watchers and firms facilitating students for study abroad have been closely watching this bill before Trump signed his package of tax bre ...Read More >
New Delhi: America's H1-B visa has been an important way for foreigners to get work here and people from all over the world try to get this document, especially Indians who go to great lengths to get an H1-B visa in large numbers. According to reports, the Trump administration is going to make big changes in the rules for issuing this visa, which can have a direct impact on Indians. The Trump administration is also considering making the citizenship test stricter. Joseph Edlow, the new director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), said in an interview to the New York Times ...Read More >
New Delhi: The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has announced the rollout of its first made-in-India electric vehicle - the e-Vitara SUV - in a major boost to the green segment from its upgraded Gujarat plant, which is now set to become one of the world's largest automotive manufacturing hubs with a projected annual capacity of one million units. Crucially, this facility will serve as Suzuki's global production base for electric vehicles (EVs), exporting to over 100 countries, including advanced markets in Japan and Europe, which is aligned with India's vision of becoming a global aut ...Read More >
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards will now be cancelled if the holder is sentenced to at least two years in prison or named in a charge sheet for an offence carrying a punishment of seven years or more, according to a new government notification. The home ministry announced the change through a gazette notification issued under clause (da) of section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955. "An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration shall be liable to get cancelled when a person has been sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years or has been charge-sheeted for an offen ...Read More >
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Minister Aman Arora on Friday expressed disappointment over the United States' decision to pause the issuance of worker visas for foreign commercial truck drivers. The reaction came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States would temporarily halt issuing worker visas to commercial truck drivers, citing concerns related to road safety and job protection for American truckers. "Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer ...Read More >
Indian officials are set to request the US to ease access for skilled workers during trade negotiations this week, following President Trump's H-1B visa restrictions. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will address the movement of IT professionals, expanding talks beyond goods to include services.Indian officials will ask US trade negotiators this week to ease access for thousands of skilled workers, a person familiar with the matter said, days after President Donald Trump's abrupt announcement to re ...Read More >
New Delhi, India -- Meghna Gupta* had planned it all - a master's degree by 23, a few years of working in India, and then a move to the United States before she turned 30 to eventually settle there. So, she clocked countless hours at the Hyderabad office of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's largest IT firm and a driver of the country's emergence as the global outsourcing powerhouse in the sector. She waited to get to the promotion that would mean a stint on California's West Coast. Now, Gupta is 29, and her dreams lie in tatters after US President Donald Trump's administration upended ...Read More >
An H-1B visa holder shares how employer delays led to loss of status, forced return to India, and financial stress, raising questions on accountability and immigration process gaps. Ajay Kumar Sharma spent 16 years building a career in IT, working with names like Fidelity Investments and Bank of America. For the last three years, he lived and worked in the United States on an H-1B visa with a clean record and a stable trajectory. Then, in early 2026, a single delay, one that was not even in his ...Read More >
Lucknow: Umar Ansari, the younger son of gangster-turned-politician late Mukhtar Ansari, was arrested by Ghazipur police from Darul Shafa area of Lucknow late Sunday night.The arrest was made following the registration of a criminal case against him for forgery in Ghazipur. He was taken into custody and transported to Ghazipur for further proceedings.Umar Ansari was booked for allegedly attempting to fraudulently reclaim a property that had been confiscated under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. The property was earlier seized under Section 14(1) of the ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a significant war of words amid the US-India tensions on trade and tariffs, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has slammed the H-1B visa program, which is a classification of non-immigrant visa in the United States that allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupation, thereby allowing Indian Information Technology (IT) workers to work in the United States. Here are all the details you need to know on what Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has said on the H-1B visa programme. Terming it a "total scam", Ron DeSantis has claimed that the H-1B visa program allows comp ...Read More >
New Delhi: India is engaged with the US and other stakeholders over the framing of rules for the Trump administration's move to levy a fee of $100,000 for H-1B visas, with the ministry of external affairs (MEA) saying on Friday that the mobility of skilled Indian talent contributes to innovation and economic growth in both countries. The new fee, announced by US President Donald Trump last week as part of measures to prevent the abuse of the H-1B visa programme -- perceived as a "national security threat" -- and to restrict the entry of non-immigrant workers, is expected to impact Indian nati ...Read More >
MUMBAI, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee ended nearly flat on Wednesday as likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India helped stave off pressure on the local unit amid worries over steep U.S. tariffs and a visa fee hike. The rupee closed at 88.69 against the U.S. dollar, a whisker away from its all-time low of 88.7975 hit on Tuesday. Traders said that the central bank likely intervened across segments such as non-deliverable forwards (NDF), currency futures and the OTC spot market to help support the rupee. The RBI did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The centr ...Read More >
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Partap Singh last month and he will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings An Indian national, who had arrived in the US illegally, has been arrested for causing a multi-vehicle crash while driving a truck in California last year that critically injured a five-year old child and left her with life-altering injuries. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Partap Singh last month and he will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings. The agency said that in June 2024, Singh caused a multi-c ...Read More >
Oracle India layoffs: US tech giant Oracle has been facing backlash online for filing thousands of foreign workers' petitions at a time when it laid off approximately 30,000 employees. The tech company filed for more than 3,000 petitions to employ H-1B workers in 2025 and 2026, and this has been criticised by American workers. US IT firm Oracle announced a brutal layoff impacting around 30,000 workers in an early morning email on March 31, informing the staff that it was their last working day. As thousands of employees woke up to the layoff emails, they had no idea that the tech giant had be ...Read More >
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio met India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, stressing that "India is critically important to the U.S." Jaishankar noted their talks covered bilateral and global issues. The remarks come just after Trump's steep $100,000 H1B visa fee hike, which has caused panic among Indian tech professionals who make up the majority of applicants. ...Read More >
US President Donald Trump's $100,000 fees hike for specific H-1B visa hires has sparked debate among various industry representatives, with many expressing their views on its effects on the US economy. Xavier Fernandes, the founder of the immigration agency Y-Axis, stated that the policy might be more detrimental to the US than beneficial. In an interview with CBS News programme on India's IT sector and H-1B visas, Fernandes said, "It's definitely America's loss. Many CEOs are from Hyderabad. I ...Read More >
India has this year given the green light to 10 semiconductor projects worth about $18 billion in total When Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India's "late entry" into the global semiconductor race, he pinned hopes on pioneers such as Vellayan Subbiah to create a chip innovation hub. The chairman of CG Power, who oversees a newly commissioned semiconductor facility in western India, is seen as one of the early domestic champions of this strategic sector in the world's fastest-growing major ...Read More >
The US Consulate General in Chennai announced on Thursday, October 23, 2025, that it has reopened and restarted visa application processing. Only applicants with appointments scheduled for October 23 were allowed to attend, while those affected by the October 22 closure are being rescheduled and will receive new appointment details.The US Consulate General Chennai on Thursday announced that it will re-open and restart visa application processing services. In a post on X, the consulate said, "US ...Read More >
Hyderabad, India -- The city of Hyderabad has been called the Silicon Valley of India. "Google, Facebook, and all the other bigger companies are here," Rajesh Jaknalli, who has worked for a U.S. tech company in Hyderabad for about 10 years, told CBS News. "This place is actually called High Tech City, but because of the many companies that we have, the term 'Cyberabad' has come," Jaknalli explained. Jaknalli says he has worked here with one goal, to get an opportunity to one day move to the U.S. "Our dream was to perform, give you 100%, and then probably, we'll get a chance to move to the ...Read More >
A total of 1,703 Indian nationals -- including 141 women -- have been deported from the United States between January 20 and July 22, 2025, the government informed Parliament on Friday. The majority of these deportees hail from Punjab (620) and Haryana (604), followed by Gujarat (245), Jammu & Kashmir (10), and six individuals with unverified state origins. Responding to a question by DMK MP Kanimozhi in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the government maintains a record of deportations and continues diplomatic engagement to ensure humane treatment ...Read More >
Chennai: The US Consulate General Chennai on Thursday announced that it will re-open and restart visa application processing services. In a post on X, the consulate said, "US Consulate General Chennai will re-open and restart visa application processing services on Thursday, October 23, 2025. Please note: Only applicants with appointments scheduled for October 23 may come in on that date." It added, "Applicants whose appointments were canceled due to visa service closures on October 22 are currently being rescheduled and will receive a message regarding the new date and time. Every applicant ...Read More >
Indian IT giants Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys are expected to suffer the most severe financial impact from a new United States policy that imposes a $100,000 supplemental fee on certain H-1B visa petitions. The fee, introduced through a presidential proclamation in September this year, applies to new H-1B applications for skilled workers entering the US from abroad, particularly those requiring consular processing. The administration has positioned the measure as a means to curb perceived abuses of the programme, prioritise employment for American citizens, and discourage relia ...Read More >
New Delhi: More than 3.5 lakh Indian students are pursuing various educational programmes ranging from primary schooling to university courses in the US as of February 2026, which is a decline of around 6.9 per cent from the corresponding figure the previous year, the Parliament was informed on Thursday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked whether Indian student enrolments in the US have dropped, and to what extent "scarce visa slots" and "high percentage of rejections of visas" are contributing to it. In a written reply to the query, the Minister of State for External Affairs, ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - India said on Friday its officials held "constructive" talks with U.S. counterparts during a visit to Washington this week, and both sides agreed to continue discussions aimed at concluding a mutually beneficial trade deal soon. "Both sides exchanged views on possible contours of the deal," the commerce ministry said in a statement. A delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited the U.S. from September 22 to 24 and met U.S. Trade Represent ...Read More >
BENGALURU/HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI - Ms Paridhi Upadhaya was packing her bags after securing a computer science scholarship in the US until headlines of President Donald Trump's H-1B visa crackdown last week prompted her family in Lucknow, India to scrap the plan. "Trump's unending onslaught against immigrants is forcing us to consider other destinations for her," the 18-year-old's father Rudar Pratap said. Ms Upadhaya is among thousands of Indians for whom the American dream of world-class education, lucrative careers, better quality of life and social mobility, is turning sour due to rising US ...Read More >
Mumbai, Sep 24 (PTI) The rupee recovered 2 paise from its all-time closing low to settle at 88.71 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, as steep tariffs and H-1B visa related issues kept the domestic unit under pressure. Forex traders said rupee is hovering near its all-time low level on sustained foreign fund outflows amid investors' risk-aversion and trade policy uncertainty. Moreover, enhanced US tariffs on Indian goods as well as trade policy uncertainty exacerbated the rupee's depreciation. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 88.80 against the US dollar, ...Read More >