A once-strategic partnership between the United States and India, long built on mutual economic benefit, innovation and people-to-people ties, is now straining under sweeping immigration and trade policies implemented under former President Donald Trump’s administration. Policies such as the drastic H-1B visa fee hike, broader immigration tightening and protectionist economic measures are not only disrupting the careers of Indian professionals but also reshaping decades-old norms that enabled some of the world’s brightest minds to thrive across borders. This shift has led to widespread concern across India’s technology sector, diaspora communities and global labour markets.
