It’s not just undocumented Indians living in the U.S. illegally who may face deportation—over 100,000 legally employed Indians could also be forced to leave under the Trump administration. This concern has intensified following Donald Trump’s move to revoke birthright citizenship.
Most Indian professionals working in the U.S. do so through the H-1B visa program, which provides them an opportunity to work in fields like technology, healthcare, and science. For many, this visa is a gateway to a better career and significantly higher earnings compared to India. However, holding an H-1B visa does not grant permanent residency—it only allows them to work in the U.S. while the visa remains valid.
Through this program, many Indian professionals eventually apply for Green Cards, granting them permanent residency. Currently, around 134,000 Indian H-1B visa holders are waiting for their Green Cards, many of whom have families with children. If Trump eliminates birthright citizenship, these children will no longer qualify as American citizens. This means the administration could potentially deport their families at any time.
Additionally, revoking birthright citizenship could impact the processing of Green Card applications, as the two issues are closely linked. This has raised fears that once H-1B visas expire, affected Indian professionals and their families might be forced to leave the U.S. Since Trump is not in favor of granting foreign nationals U.S. citizenship easily, the process of obtaining Green Cards for Indians on H-1B visas has already been delayed.
Although the Trump administration has not made an official announcement regarding the deportation of these visa holders, the continued delay in Green Card approvals has led to growing uncertainty. If the administration decides to take such action, thousands of legally employed Indian professionals, along with their spouses and children, could be removed from the U.S. Despite following legal procedures and waiting for years, they may never be granted the permanent residency they had hoped for.