Latest news with #NoticetoAppear
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Troubles mount! One in six NRIs on H-1B visas feel threat of US deportation; many thinking of returning to India: Poll
Representative AI image H-1B visa trouble: A growing number of Indian professionals in the US on H-1B visas are facing an unexpected and alarming threat of deportation landing on their doorsteps before the official 60-day grace period even runs out. Laid off and staring down the barrel of a possible permanent US ban, many say it feels like a ticking time bomb. According to a poll of 1,584 verified professionals conducted on the anonymous workplace app Blind between August 6 and August 8, 2025, one in six (16%) said they or someone they know has received a Notice to Appear (NTA) within the grace period after being laid off. Under normal rules, H-1B workers have 60 days to find a new employer or change visa status after job loss. But since mid-2025, reports have emerged of NTAs being issued within as little as two weeks, labelling recipients 'out of status.' 'Multiple cases where NTAs were sent in 2 weeks.' a Meta user wrote on Blind. 'Immigration lawyers now advise leaving as soon as possible after [the] job ends otherwise you risk a permanent ban from the US,' the user added. This sudden escalation is forcing many to rethink long-term plans. Between July 28 and August 8, 2025, workplace community app Blind surveyed 2,089 verified Indian professionals in the US on work visas such as H-1B and L1, revealing deep concerns about job security and the future of US immigration. In the survey of 2,089 verified Indian professionals, 45% said they would return to India if forced to leave, 26% would move to another country, and 29% were unsure. What are NRIs biggest concerns about leaving US? When asked about their biggest concerns over leaving the US, respondents cited a significant pay cut (25%), lower quality of life (24%), cultural or family adjustment (13%), and fewer job opportunities (10%). Interestingly, 28% said they would have no concerns and would be open to leaving. On whether they would still opt for a US work visa if given the chance again, only 35% said 'yes.' While 27% were unsure and 38% said 'no,' pointing to a clear shift in how Indian professionals view the long-term value of immigrating to the US. What is driving this change? Real experiences are driving this change. More than one in three respondents (35%) said they or someone close to them had been forced to leave the US after losing a job while on a work visa, often under the looming threat of deportation during the brief grace period. The findings suggest a growing openness to leaving the US, with many indicating they would return to India if it came to that. Trump's recent call sparks sharp divide US President Donald Trump's recent call for US companies to 'stop hiring in India' has sparked a sharp divide in opinion. Among US-based professionals, 63% felt the move could benefit their companies, while 69% of India-based respondents believed it would hurt their firms. When asked if they or someone close to them had ever been forced to leave the US after being laid off, 10% said it happened to them directly, 25% said it happened to someone close, and 65% said no. The growing anxieties reflect a broader shift in the perception of the H-1B pathway, once seen as a golden ticket to American opportunities, now increasingly viewed as a high-risk gamble. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays , public holidays , current gold rate and silver price .
India Today
05-08-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Indian families face tougher vetting under new US green card rules
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued fresh policy guidance aimed at strengthening its screening of family-based immigrant visa petitions, a move that will affect many applicants from India, one of the largest sources of family-sponsored green card updated policy, now part of the USCIS Policy Manual, clarifies how the agency will assess whether family-based petitions-including those involving spouses, children, parents, or siblings — are genuine, properly documented, and legally agency is drawing a clear line between legitimate family reunification and what it calls "fraudulent, frivolous, or otherwise non-meritorious" petitions. Such cases, it says, 'erode confidence in family-based pathways to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status and undermine family unity in the United States.' The guidance, effective immediately, lays out several key updates that will affect current and future petitions, including those already in the pipeline. These include stricter interview protocols, clearer eligibility criteria, and closer scrutiny of cases where multiple or related petitions are filed says the goal is to boost its 'capacity to vet qualifying marriages and family relationships to ensure they are genuine, verifiable, and compliant with all applicable laws.'Indian nationals are likely to feel the impact. Many wait years — even decades — in backlogs, particularly under family preference categories. This move could mean longer processing times or additional documentation requirements for THE NOTABLE CHANGES:Clarified rules for when interviews will be required for family-based immigrant visa explanations of how the agency adjudicates petitions filed alongside others, including related or duplicate oversight on cases filed from abroad by US citizens, including military personnel and government employees stationed authority to issue a Notice to Appear (NTA) in immigration court if the petition beneficiary is found to be removable, emphasising that an approved family petition does not shield someone from deportation.'We are committed to keeping Americans safe by detecting aliens with potentially harmful intent so they can be processed for removal from the United States,' the agency update also outlines when USCIS may reroute a case to the National Visa Centre if an applicant is no longer eligible to adjust status within the US.- EndsTrending Reel
Fox News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
When it comes to ID, it's time to get REAL
Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, a few years after the 9/11 attacks. The subsequent 9/11 Commission Report revealed many weaknesses in our national security, including the fact that hijackers Khalid Al-Mihdhar and Nawaf Al-Hazmi got California drivers' licenses through a facilitator in San Diego. They probably used those to board the American Airlines plane they crashed into the Pentagon, killing 189 people. International and domestic criminals and terrorists love "breeder documents" (papers issued based on low evidence), which they can use to get better identification documents (IDs) like a passport, birth certificate, and Social Security card. That's why for air travel and other serious business, all passengers should have identification based on information that has been verified, so we know who they really are. After two decades of the government kicking the can down the road with one excuse after another, the deadline for needing a REAL ID to catch a domestic flight is up on May 7. This time, we need to keep it. Over the past four years, former president Joe Biden and his Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas released at the border, paroled, or let sneak in over 10 million essentially unidentified aliens. Many had thrown away their ID or didn't have any, so DHS took their word for who they were. There was no way to do proper background checks in their home countries. Some of them turned out to be terrorists, rapists, and murderers here – and for all we know, they may have been before at home, if we had only known their real identities and records. Many Americans were outraged over the last few years to see aliens at our interior airports checking in for domestic flights with only their Notice to Appear (NTA - the document they got at the border that tells them to show up in court for a deportation hearing). Some were flying on the taxpayer dime. Others were flown in the middle of the night to avoid public attention. Meanwhile, all of us had to carry proper documents that take time and money to get. Most states will issue you a non-REAL ID license with less proof than the REAL ID version. For the real deal, you need some combination of documents such as a birth certificate, passport, Social Security card, and proof of residence. It's not easy, but once you've done it in your home state, you don't have to repeat the exercise when you renew. Some of those holding non-REAL ID compliant drivers' licenses are living in the U.S. illegally. Nineteen states plus Washington, D.C. have allowed people who claim residence there to get some version of a license even if they are illegal, arguing that it improves road safety. For another two weeks, foreign nationals have a choice of showing a driver's license, foreign passport, military ID, federal Employment Authorization Card, or even their Notice to Appear to get on a domestic flight. After May 7, they will need a passport or a state-issued drivers' license that complies with federal REAL ID standards. Or there's always the Greyhound. Just as Leftists want men to self-ID into women's spaces, they seem fine with unidentified foreigners self-declaring who they are before getting on a plane. I'm not. If we're going to keep handing over our nail clippers thanks to the 9/11 hijackers, and taking off our footwear thanks to shoe-bomber Richard Reid, we can at least ask our fellow travelers to have a secure ID that is based on verified facts and not just their say-so. The one exception that the Department of Homeland Security will make to the new REAL ID requirement is for foreigners booking a flight out of the country. With the border more secure than ever, that would mean they'd be self-deporting, unless they can qualify for a visa in the future. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that "81% of air travelers hold REAL ID-compliant or acceptable IDs." The other 19% can get with the program. Some on the American right, and Libertarians, don't like the REAL ID requirement. But the rest of us will pay that small price to ensure safer skies and so we know that someone has verified the identity of the guy sitting next to us. Basic Economy is already rough enough without having to play human lotto every time you fly.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge questions deportation case of Harvard scientist accused of smuggling frog embryos
An immigration judge has found the U.S. government's initial deportation case against Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born Harvard scientist held in ICE detention, to be legally deficient, her attorney said, raising questions about whether the case can move forward. The preliminary immigration hearing, held in Jena, Louisiana, included three trial attorneys and a deputy chief counsel from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Petrova's attorney Greg Romanovsky described their presence as unusual for an early-stage proceeding. 'In my 25 years of practice, I've never seen anything like it,' he said. The judge determined that the Notice to Appear — the official document initiating deportation proceedings — did not meet legal standards, Romanovsky said. ICE has been given one week to file additional documentation to support its charge that Petrova is deportable. A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for July 22 to determine whether the case can proceed. If the judge rules that the deportability charge is valid, a final hearing on Petrova's asylum application will be scheduled. Until then, a resolution in the case is likely to be months away, Romanovsky said. Petrova, 30, remains in ICE custody at Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, where she has been held for about two months. She was a leading scientist at Harvard's renowned Kirschner Lab until she was arrested at a Boston airport in mid-February. She is fighting possible deportation to Russia, where she said she fears persecution and jail time over her protests against the war in Ukraine. Her lawyer is now focused on securing her release, arguing that she should not remain in detention while her case remains in procedural uncertainty. The push for her release centers on a separate federal case Petrova's attorney has filed in U.S. District Court in Vermont, where she is suing the Department of Homeland Security over what she alleges was an unlawful visa cancellation and her subsequent detention. A hearing in that case is scheduled for May 14 in Burlington, Vermont. 'She shouldn't have to wait for the outcome of a prolonged legal process while sitting in detention in Louisiana,' Romanovsky said. The outcome of the Vermont federal hearing could significantly affect Petrova's detention status ahead of the July immigration court hearing in Louisiana. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement X that Petrova was 'lawfully detained after lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country.' 'A subsequent K9 inspection uncovered undeclared petri dishes, containers of unknown substances, and loose vials of embryonic frog cells, all without proper permits,' DHS said in the post. 'Messages found on her phone revealed she planned to smuggle the materials through customs without declaring them.' Petrova described the incident differently. 'They asked if I have any biological samples in my luggage. I said yes,' she previously told NBC News from detention in Louisiana. She described confusion over the customs procedures and a lengthy interrogation by Customs and Border Protection officers. 'Nobody knew what was happening to me. I didn't have any contact, not to my lawyer, not to Leon, not to anybody,' she said, referring to Dr. Leon Peshkin, a principal research scientist at Harvard's Department of Systems Biology and her manager and mentor. 'And the next day, they didn't say what would happen. I was waiting in a cell.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Judge questions deportation case of Russian-born Harvard scientist detained by ICE
An immigration judge has found the U.S. government's initial deportation case against Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born Harvard scientist held in ICE detention, to be legally deficient, her attorney said, raising questions about whether the case can move forward. The preliminary immigration hearing, held in Jena, Louisiana, included three trial attorneys and a deputy chief counsel from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Petrova's attorney Greg Romanovsky described their presence as unusual for an early-stage proceeding. 'In my 25 years of practice, I've never seen anything like it,' he said. The judge determined that the Notice to Appear — the official document initiating deportation proceedings — did not meet legal standards, Romanovsky said. ICE has been given one week to file additional documentation to support its charge that Petrova is deportable. A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for July 22 to determine whether the case can proceed. If the judge rules that the deportability charge is valid, a final hearing on Petrova's asylum application will be scheduled. Until then, a resolution in the case is likely months away, Romanovsky said. Petrova, 30, remains in ICE custody at Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, where she has been held for about two months. She worked as a leading scientist at Harvard's renowned Kirschner Lab until her arrest at a Boston airport in mid-February. She is fighting possible deportation to Russia, where she said she fears persecution and jail time over her protests against the war in Ukraine. Her lawyer is now focused on securing her release, arguing that she should not remain in detention while her case remains in procedural uncertainty. The push for her release centers on a separate federal case Petrova's attorney has filed in the U.S. District Court in Vermont, where she is suing the Department of Homeland Security over what she alleges was an unlawful visa cancellation and her subsequent detention. A hearing in that case is scheduled for May 14 in Burlington, Vermont. 'She shouldn't have to wait for the outcome of a prolonged legal process while sitting in detention in Louisiana,' Romanovsky said. The outcome of the Vermont federal hearing could significantly affect Petrova's detention status ahead of the July immigration court hearing in Louisiana. In a statement posted on X, the Department of Homeland Security said Petrova was 'lawfully detained after lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country.' 'A subsequent K9 inspection uncovered undeclared petri dishes, containers of unknown substances, and loose vials of embryonic frog cells, all without proper permits,' DHS stated in the post. 'Messages found on her phone revealed she planned to smuggle the materials through customs without declaring them.' Petrova described the incident differently. 'They asked if I have any biological samples in my luggage. I said yes,' she previously told NBC News from detention in Louisiana. She described confusion over the customs procedures and a lengthy interrogation from Customs and Border Protection Officers. 'Nobody knew what was happening to me. I didn't have any contact, not to my lawyer, not to Leon, not to anybody,' she said. 'And the next day, they didn't say what would happen. I was waiting in a cell.'
