Free Republic

Diethylene glycol (DEG) is an organic compound that is commonly used as an industrial solvent in antifreeze mixtures and brake fluids. But, in India, DEG is ending up with worrying frequency where it should never be – in cough syrups for children. The repeated presence of this toxic substance in medicines has had devastating, fatal consequences in India and abroad, while also bringing the country’s lax drug regulatory set-up under intense scrutiny. In the latest instance of such contamination, at least 22 children have been killed since September in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after consuming Coldrif,...

Nearly one-fifth fewer student visas were issued in August, the same month the Trump administration moved to limit the duration of visas for students, among others. One of the hardest hit were Indians, who saw a nearly 45% plunge in student visa allocations in August. According to news agency AFP, 3,13,138 student visas were issued in the month of August and the total figure was also 19.1% lower than what it was in August 2024. While the Chinese also saw a drop in issuance of student visas, it wasn't nearly as much as Indians, who saw 44.5% fewer student visas...

An Indian Redditor who claimed to be an ex-Amazon employee took to Reddit to share his rant against Indian managers in US workplaces. The post went viral with anti-H-1Bs reveling in the fact that Indians are exposing the toxicity they create in American companies. The Redditor said Indian managers do not hire Americans because they know they can't push them to work 24/7; and Americans won't hesitate to push back if they are made to work extra. Citing the toxic behavior of the Indian managers for leaving Amazon, the person claimed that the real hiring criteria in Walmart is one...

US President Donald Trump's "reckless" proclamation imposing a USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visas is not about protecting American jobs but about "weaponising" immigration policy to advance a "xenophobic agenda", a leading community organisation said. On Friday, the Trump administration announced a one-time USD 1,00,000 fee on H-1B visas. Indian American Impact strongly condemned Trump's reckless order imposing the USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visas and said its "chaotic" rollout sparked panic and chaos, especially for professionals abroad working or visiting family with medical emergencies. The proclamation "is not about protecting American jobs; it is about weaponising immigration policy to...

Trump administration’s MAGA push is gaining traction before the next year’s mid-term elections in America. Two key developments regarding the H-1B visa system are already in place, making it difficult for US firms to hire foreign workers. The introduction of a $100,000 H-1B petition fee for each foreign worker will make it more expensive for US companies, while the second proposal is to launch a wage-based selection process. US companies are being forced to either hire the best-skilled foreign talent by offering a higher salary and the $100k petition fee or hire American workers. After H-1B, the next focus for...

Since President Donald Trump's H-1B visa crackdown, many Indian students who once dreamed of a world-class education, lucrative careers and a better quality of life, are nervous about tougher and more unpredictable U.S. immigration rules. -snip- Bengaluru-based Piyush is a 26-year-old who still wants to do an MBA in the United States. He asked for his full name not to be used, fearing it could affect his visa chances. This is his story: I have been in India all my life. I have studied and worked here and honestly, I have had enough. It is time to go. It is...

American companies and institutions have utilized the notoriously abused H-1B work visa program to staff diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, according to documents released by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “I’ve reviewed numerous examples of hospitals, universities and other employers hiring foreign H-1B workers as DEI bureaucrats,” Schmitt said on social media. “Examples range from large banks and law firms to universities, healthcare systems, and even municipal park districts. Obviously, DEI positions are plainly non-technical and ideological in nature, and appear to fall outside the ‘specialty occupation’ intent of the H-1B statute.” The senator’s office reviewed H-1B visa applications submitted...

Billionaire investor Ken Griffin has warned that some of the brightest students from countries like India might never make it to the US and that this could hurt the country’s future. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, the Citadel CEO said the real loss isn’t the $100,000 cost of an H-1B visa, but it’s when a talented student in India or a math and physics prodigy in China chooses to stay home instead of coming to the US. “Fortunately, we’re in a sector of the economy where a $100,000 one-time cost to hire a person is not going to be...

US Congressman Riley M Moore (West Virginia) weighed in on the H-1B visa debate currently taking over the US political landscape. Stepping out for a guest appearance on ‘The Will Cain Show’ this week, he spoke out against the ‘specialty occupations’ nonimmigrant classification responsible for bringing in highly skilled workers from across the world. “We don’t just need to crack down on illegal immigration, we also need to rein in legal immigration,” he wrote on his official X account, as he shared a video of his Fox News outing. Calling the H-1B visa program a “disaster,” he blamed the category...

The biggest name in the American hotel business is not Hilton, Marriott, or Ritz-Carlton — it is Patel. A LinkedIn post by Sarthak Ahuja recently shared how the Gujarati Indian community, which forms less than 1% of the US population, now controls about 60% of the country’s hospitality business. It began with one man’s journey in the 1930s that laid the foundation for an entire community to rise in the hotel industry. The story traces back to Kanji Manchhu Desai, who arrived in the United States from Trinidad in 1934. He overstayed his visa and worked on farms in California....

The White House is moving forward with a new set of changes to the H-1B visa program that could reshape how U.S. companies recruit and hire skilled foreign professionals. -snip- Specialty Occupation Definition: One of the most consequential revisions could involve tightening what qualifies as a “specialty occupation.” In earlier drafts from the Trump era, eligible roles were restricted to positions requiring a degree in a “directly related specific specialty.” A similar provision surfaced briefly in a 2024 Biden administration proposal before being revised to require only a “logical connection” between a worker’s degree and their job duties. Reintroducing the...

President Donald Trump announced plans in September to impose a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications, a move that could pose a challenge to companies, particularly in the technology sector, that rely heavily on highly skilled foreign workers. -snip- "If you're going to train somebody, you're going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land. Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs," said Lutnick. Meanwhile, critics of the fee hikes say the move could stifle innovation by restricting the flow of overseas talent to the United States. "If...

An X user shared a video of a woman who claimed she was fired just two days after moving to Germany for an internship. The post, seemingly using her as an example, alleged that many Indians are facing similar experiences “amid rising xenophobia." In the video, the woman detailed her efforts to secure a position in Germany and the unexpected turn her internship took. Her experience drew attention and sparked widespread debate online. She explained that she found an internship at a startup in Munich while job hunting in Berlin. “Imagine moving cities for a new internship and then getting...

'Academic killjoys' have slapped a trigger warning on Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Dr No. English literature students at the University of Portsmouth have reportedly been warned that the book, published in 1958, contains 'instances of racism, misogyny and xenophobia'. The university said the warning 'enables students to prepare emotionally' as well as engage 'more deeply' with the text. The book, which centres on 007's investigation into the appearance of two MI6 operatives in Jamaica, is among more than 50 texts slapped with a trigger warning. Course leaders claim the book's titular villain, Chinese-German scientist Dr Julius No, is 'problematic,...

After US President Donald Trump enhanced the application fee for H-1B visas to $1,00,000, many American firms have started advertising technical jobs exclusively for US citizens. Roles such as software developers, process engineers, project managers, and UI/UX designers, once largely filled by H-1B visa holders, are now being listed with a clear note: “Open to US citizens only.” Industry experts said that the new fee has made hiring foreign talent “financially unviable” for most companies, especially small and mid-sized ones. The move, which came into effect last month, is imposed on companies hiring new H-1B applicants. The $1,00,000-fee caused widespread...

An Indian man living in the United States has gone viral for his candid take on the new H1B visa rule and how it pushed him to rethink his definition of “home” and “success.” In a video shared on Instagram, the man said, “I actually think this new H1B visa rule is an amazing thing for people like me.” He explained that he decided to move back to India about a year ago and was grappling with doubts about his decision, until the recent change in visa policy gave him “clarity.” “About a year ago, I made the decision to...

Indian American entrepreneur and political figure Vivek Ramaswamy highlighted the value of the nonimmigrant program amid rising debates over the future of H-1B visas for specialty occupations. Ramaswamy, former co-chair of Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, sparked discussion on social media by suggesting that Chinese students often outperform their American peers academically. “75% of 8th graders in America aren’t proficient in math & the average student in China is 4 years ahead of the average US student,” he wrote Monday on X. “It’s time to get serious about fixing K-12 education.” While Ramaswamy spoke specifically about students, Indian American...