US govt shutdown may stall H-1B, green card processing, hitting Indians

Hindustan Times ^ | 10/1/2025 | Shashank Mattoo

[marcusmaximus]

In another challenging development for Indian professionals in America, H-1B visas and green card processing is set to be affected as the US government shut down on Wednesday.

The shutdown came after President Donald Trump’s Republicans and the opposition Democrats were unable to agree on a congressional budget bill that would fund the government. Immigration lawyers told HT that the shutdown, which ends funding for non-essential government services, will particularly impact new applicants for H-1B visas and employment-based green cards.

This development came after the Trump administration announced a new $100,000 H-1B visa application fee for new applicants. The fee is expected to make it uneconomical for US companies to hire foreign talent. In addition, US senators announced new bipartisan legislation this week that would restrict access to H-1B and L-1 visas.

-snip-

Sophie Alcorn, a Silicon Valley-based immigration lawyer who works with a number of Indian tech professionals, believes new applicants will be hit hardest.

“The shutdown creates a mixed bag of consequences, hitting new applications the hardest while largely sparing those already in process. For the Indian diaspora, who represent a huge portion of H-1B and employment-based green card applicants, the biggest immediate impact comes from the department of labour,” Alcorn said. Indian professionals will start facing significant delays in their H-1B and green card application processes.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat
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[FrankRizzo890]

The horror, the horror.

[exDemMom]

There is a moral problem with issuing visas to highly educated people that I rarely see addressed. That is the brain-drain we are causing to their home countries. Every country needs highly intelligent and educated people in order to develop. But here we are, dangling visas in front of their best and brightest, taking them away from their countries that need them just so that our businesses can hire highly educated foreigners at lower cost than highly educated Americans.

I really like the $100K fee on H1 visas now. And I can’t be upset that visa processing is on hold during the shutdown. Although I hope the Democrats come to their senses soon and remember that they are supposed to work for the American people, not illegal aliens.

[odawg]

Makes one wonder how and why the United States government (and taxpayers) became an employment agency for Indians.

Americans don’t need to work?

[pierrem15]

My heart bleeds! /s

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Sob...

[Gene Eric]

lol

[kiryandil]

Thanks for providink me a platform to promote the Freep-A-Thons and shame freeploading deadbeats like yourself.

Maybe we’ll get ‘er done quicker this way, and take some stress off Jim Robinson and the rest of the Robinsons.

“deadbeats, spammers and freeploaders, marcus hears it from the people of FR they call him.”
“But every night marcus comes around, and lays some spam down.”

[Georgia Girl 2]

😭

[rxh4n1]

Well, at least you hate all Asians equally, racist.

[Cronos]

The US gov and taxpayers are not an employment agency for Indians.

Indian immigrants pay in far more than they take out.

It does make sense to focus more on local employment yes, but that doesn’t mean we have to demonize people who came looking for the American dream to settle and build businesses.

[Bonemaker]

Hope it doesn’t affect my retina surgeon, gastroenterologist, and primery physician!

[Adder]

Now where did my tissues go?

[odawg]

“...but that doesn’t mean we have to demonize people who came looking for the American dream to settle and build businesses.”

Why do you say that I am demonizing people who come here looking for the American dream? I am demonizing stupid politicians who withhold the American dream from Americans through their absolutely insane immigration policies.

Don’t you think that Americans should have the first crack at the American dream?

[Cronos]

you’re right, you didn’t demonize the immigrants.

And yes, Americans should have the first crack at the American dream