U.S. authorities are reportedly closely monitoring every movement of Indian students—where they go, what they do, and whether they are truly studying or engaging in illegal work. They are tracking banking transactions and verifying documentation. Even H-1B visa holders are under scrutiny, raising concern among the Indian diaspora.
The number of Indian students going to the U.S. is steadily increasing—from 2,68,923 in 2022–23 to 3,31,602 in 2023–24. Universities like NYU, Northeastern, Columbia, ASU, and USC have tens of thousands of Indian students, many of whom are suspected of working part-time off-campus. The U.S. government is conducting surveillance in cities like New York, Boston, Tempe, and Los Angeles. There is also concern over the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows temporary skilled work after MS. Trump has announced a plan to cancel OPT through legislation, meaning only students who immediately get jobs can stay, while others must return to India—despite spending ₹35–49 lakhs for education.
Using Artificial Intelligence, U.S. authorities are reportedly tracking foreign students’ origin, earnings, employment, locations visited, and expenses to determine if they are misusing student visas for work purposes, which would violate immigration laws. The Indian embassy in the U.S. has alerted the Indian government, especially regarding consultancies sending students illegally. About 5,000 students have been flagged so far. States in India have been asked to submit consultancy details. Students who earned money through unauthorized means could face questioning. Concerns have also been raised about the future of H-1B visas, with slogans like "jobs for Americans" gaining momentum under Trump’s leadership.
