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Chandigarh, July 21
Stricter immigration policies in the United States are prompting some students and skilled workers from Punjab and Haryana to return home said Attorney at Law and US Immigration Law Expert Jaspreet Singh, who says many people are rethinking plans to settle abroad. Speaking at a discussion hosted by the Chandigarh Press Club on Tuesday, he said the immigration landscape in the US has changed significantly, making it more difficult for undocumented migrants and increasing uncertainty for some visa holders.
He said there had been a noticeable rise in what he described as “reverse migration”, with some international students and H-1B visa holders returning to India because of tighter rules, fewer opportunities and uncertainty over their long-term future.
He urged young people and their families not to view migration as a guaranteed route to permanent residency or US citizenship.”People should go abroad for genuine reasons such as higher education or employment, not with the expectation that permanent residency will automatically follow,” he said.He also warned that US border restrictions are unlikely to be relaxed in the near future and advised aspiring migrants to focus on developing professional skills, saying they would play a much bigger role in future immigration decisions.
During the discussion, he said immigration enforcement had become more stringent, with stronger border security measures and expanded detention policies. He said undocumented migrants entering through the border were being detained, with their cases processed through federal courts before deportation.
The changing immigration rules are also affecting businesses that depend on migrant workers, he said.
He pointed to the trucking industry as one example, saying stricter commercial driver’s licence (CDL) regulations had affected many drivers, with some licences reportedly cancelled. He said sectors including trucking, construction and agriculture continue to face labour shortages despite tighter immigration controls, resulting in fewer workers entering the country over the past two years.
Referring to student visa fraud cases that have emerged in recent years, he said that the future migration to countries such as the United States and Canada is likely to be driven more by skills and employment needs than by broad immigration opportunities.
He further said that the thousands of Indians have built careers in the US through H-1B visas but stressed that acquiring relevant qualifications and professional skills would remain the strongest pathway for those planning to work abroad.
Damini Sharma
