"department-of-homeland-security"

The US has proposed scrapping the 60-day grace period for certain foreign workers, including H-1B visa holders, who lose their jobs. The move could particularly affect Indian technology workers, forcing those without separate authorisation to leave the country immediately

A DHS advertisement featuring “Mr Singh” in an anti-immigration campaign has sparked controversy, with Hindu American Foundation and Sikh Coalition calling it racist and discriminatory. The campaign uses AI-generated imagery and Transformers characters while promoting voluntary self-deportation for undocumented migrants

US President Donald Trump used his Labour Day proclamation to endorse a proposed $103,265 fee on H‑1B visa petitions, framing it as a measure to prioritise American workers. The politically sensitive visa programme, heavily used by Indian professionals, was placed at the centre of his message on jobs, tariffs and manufacturing.

An Indian diaspora policy group warned that a new four-year cap on F-1 and J-1 visas could disrupt international students’ degrees and research in the US. FIIDS urged delaying implementation, citing risks to universities, innovation, and America’s global competitiveness

The US has introduced fixed stay limits for student, exchange visitor and journalist visas, ending indefinite admission rules. The policy caps most F and J visas at four years, shortens post-study grace periods, and increases federal oversight, affecting thousands of Indian students

A US appeals court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to fast-track third-country deportations, upholding a lower court injunction. The judges cited failure to meet legal standards and warned of irreparable harm from wrongful removals pending further judicial review

The Trump Administration has announced sweeping reforms to the H-1B visa system, replacing the random lottery with a weighted selection process that favours higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers. The new rules will take effect from February 27 and apply to the fiscal year 2027 H-1B cap season.

DHS removed or returned over 1,60,000 individuals and operated more than 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries

Venkata left within months for a position with another IT firm and later attempted to change status from an F-1 visa to an H-1B visa last year.

It is an Internet-based platform that maintains data on foreign students, exchange visitors and dependents during their stay in the US

This new selection process would incentivise employers to offer higher wages or petition for positions requiring higher skills and higher-skilled workers instead of using the programme to fill relatively lower-paid vacancies.

Cyberattacks by foreign activity groups are not only targeting political groups, but are stepping up their efforts to attack individuals and think-tanks and campaigns of Trump and Biden, say security experts

"The rules being implemented by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor undermine high-skilled immigration in the US and a company's ability to retain and recruit the very best talent."

The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in “speciality occupations” that require theoretical or technical expertise.