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Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
With US grudging visas, students veer to EB-5; applications for Green Card category up by more than 100%
The events in the past few weeks that have led to this panic-like situation include a stop on new F-1 visa appointments — a tussle between the Trump administration and Harvard University; tightening of F-1 visa rules; heightened scrutiny of students' records, including social media posts; student and exchange visitor information system (SEVIS) record glitches; and increased scrutiny at ports of entry. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Following the crack-down on student visas, many Indians currently in the US and those considering colleges there are exploring the EB-5 route. The EB-5 visa programme provides a path to a Green Card , or permanent residency , to foreign investors putting in $800,000 (about Rs 7 crore).In the past four to five months, in Donald Trump 's second term as US President, immigration lawyers have seen more than 100% jump in EB-5 applications from Indian students, they told ET.A limited number of visas, however, are available each year under the category about 700 for India. With the US the most popular destination for higher studies 86,000 Indians there in 2024-experts see a scramble for EB-5 this year."There is a sharp jump in EB-5 applications," said Rajneesh Pathak, founder of Global North Residency and Citizenship, an immigration law firm. "But unlike previous years, when we had most-ly H-1B visa holders applying, the interest from F-1 visa holders has risen by 100% over the last few months."F-1 is a non-immigrant visa that allows international stu-dents to enter and stay in the US to pursue full-time academic studies, with limited work do not want to take any chances in the current political environment in the US, said experts. 'They are willing to invest in EB-5 to secure the future of their children,' said events in the past few weeks that have led to this panic-like situation include a stop on new F-1 visa appointments — a tussle between the Trump administration and Harvard University; tightening of F-1 visa rules; heightened scrutiny of students' records, including social media posts; student and exchange visitor information system (SEVIS) record glitches; and increased scrutiny at ports of entry.'The F-1 visa, once as a bridge to opportunity, now feels like a tightrope,' said Akshat Gupta, head of India & UAE, US Immigration Fund (USIF), an EB-5 Regional Centre has seen a 100% rise in F-1 visa holders seeking the EB-5 visa so far this year since January, as against idea that international students, even at globally respected universities, are finding themselves in the middle of political or administrative disputes is unsettling, experts say. Earlier, adjustment of status would allow students to stay in the US, apply for work and travel authorisation, they with the Trump administration discouraging international students, those between 19- 24 years of age, especially in competitive fields like computer science, biotech and finance, are mostly applying for EB-5. US law firm Chugh LLP has seen a sharp uptick in EB-5 requests in the past few months from Indian students on F-1 visas.'Roughly one-third of my new immigration consultations now involve students worried about how US politics could affect their status,' said Navneet S Chugh, attorney, who runs the firm. Last year, Chugh's firm was handling one or two EB-5 inquiries a quarter from students but this spring, it is fielding five to seven a month.'The Harvard dispute simply reminds them how quickly rules can change,' said another and Associations, another immigration law firm in the US, is also seeing a significant interest from Indian students and H-1B holders to pursue the EB-5 visa current I-526E adjudication timelines are significantly faster than in previous years.'In some instances, what once took three years is now being processed in as little as three months,' said its founder and chairman, Mark Davies. This flexibility allows applicants to live and work freely in the US while their Green Card cases are pending, said holding a Green Card have legal protection that F-1 visa holders do not have. 'We are advising students to maximise their time within the US and avoid unnecessary foreign travel or extended breaks,' said Sukanya Raman, country head, Davies and Associates.
Economic Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
US tariff tantrums delay GCC expansion as companies await clarity
The setting up of new global capability centres (GCCs) and expansion of existing ones are facing some short-term pauses and delayed decision-making – particularly in tariff-sensitive sectors like automotive – amid uncertainty over proposed US tariffs, experts tracking the space told ET.A large US-based technology firm with a GCC in Noida, which wanted to expand, has decided to wait till September before finalising plans, citing reports that the US economy has shrunk, said Alouk Kumar, CEO of Inductus, a consulting firm that advises GCCs. 'Firms across sectors like healthcare, BFSI and aviation, who had made enquiries to set up in India, have also delayed final decisions,' Kumar decision-making is particularly noticeable in tariff-sensitive sectors like automotive and integrated hardware, experts said.'But these are more tactical pauses than structural pullbacks,' said Karthik Padmanabhan, managing partner-GCC advisory at management consulting firm Zinnov. The proposed US tariffs and heightened geopolitical tensions are adding to concerns. 'While it is still early to fully assess the extent of the impact, geopolitical developments are contributing to near-term caution,' Rajesh Nambiar, president of industry body Nasscom, told impact may become more visible if uncertainties linger, experts GCCs are under pressure from their headquarters to optimise costs.'We're observing a clear directive from global HQs for Indian GCCs to optimise costs amidst economic uncertainties, not through drastic cuts but via strategic enhancements,' said Kumar of Padmanabhan said GCCs are aggressively adopting generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and robotic process automation (RPA) to cut down effort in finance, human resources, and are also being optimised through a focus on location diversification to tier-2 and tier-3 cities and structural redesign moving towards productised pods that are leaner and deliver more, he added. Bright outlook The long-term outlook remains optimistic for India, while recruitment by GCCs is continuing as usual with no hiring freezes on the cards.'Any changes will depend on significant HQ budget cuts, making this a wait-and-watch situation,' said Arindam Sen, partner and GCC sector leader-technology, media & entertainment, and telecommunications, at EY is, however, a greater focus on critical and niche skills in AI/ML, cybersecurity, cloud, and data engineering, and on value rather than volume in hiring, said Jaspreet Singh, partner at Grant Thornton feels the ripple effects of the tariffs may even be a tailwind for India, with an uptick in digital supply chain work, nearshoring support, and product engineering mandates being shifted to India already. 'Despite concerns about Trump's pro-America policies, the Indian GCC ecosystem is unlikely to face a slowdown,' said Vikram Ahuja, cofounder of ANSR, a GCC advisory firm. 'While policy shifts may influence outsourcing trends in certain industries, the demand for AI, digital transformation and specialised talent will continue to drive US companies to leverage India's GCCs as strategic assets.' India is on track to reach 1,900 GCCs by end-2025 from 1,700 in FY24, according to estimates from in the country currently employ about 1.9 million people and generate $64.6 billion in revenues, as per industry estimates. This is projected to reach about $99-105 billion by FY2030, employing 2.5-2.8 million people.
