Trump effect : Should Indian students go to the US to study?
There was a time when students from India wouldn’t think twice about pursuing their higher education in the United States. In fact, for most, this was a natural progression. The situation seems to have grown tense in the past few months with President Donald Trump’s proposed crackdown on the H1B visa. This has led to students rethinking their options and exploring other countries.
Contrary to popular belief, or should we say, misconception, the situation is not as tense as it appears to be. Indians have always commanded respect for their intelligence combined with intuitive thinking. They have especially shown a propensity to excel in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. If you are enrolling for these courses, you have nothing to fear, irrespective of the immigration policies. To quote the President from an article in the Hindustan Times1, “Indians studying in American educational institutions should not be kicked out as the country needs smart people like them”.
To corroborate this, let us disperse all the myths and misbeliefs surrounding the H1B visa issue.
around 80% of indian students pursue graduate and postgraduate courses in stem in the us
STEM courses offer work opportunities post completion of their studies via the OPT (Optional Practical Training) system. OPT commences after you’ve completed the college program; the duration is up to 36 months for STEM and up to 12 months for NON- STEM courses. Therefore, a STEM student is allowed up to 3 years post course completion to gain practical training irrespective of an H1B application.
stem fuels innovation
The US encourages innovation and opportunity which are what young entrepreneurs thrive on. This is a win-win situation for Indian STEM students who are welcomed by both large multinational companies as well as budding start-ups, or given the opportunity to establish a company of their own. Infosys recently released a press statement that it will be hiring more freshers and grads directly from US colleges. In 2003, Indian-origin researchers comprised about 2.5% of the U.S. research workforce, which rose to 3.3% in 2013. Mind you, this is not just in the field of research. The projected growth for the year 2010-2020 tells us that computer system analytics will grow by 22%, system software developers by 32%, medical science by 36% and biomedical engineering by 62%.
The exponential growth of these industries will naturally create an increasing demand for STEM specialists.
indian students contribute to the us economy
Indians who travel to the US to study roughly spend about $5 billion annually. This is sizeable revenue from education export for which the universities have
created a huge capacities.
a policy of checks and balances
For a bill to get passed to become a law is not an easy process in the US. The bill is thoroughly evaluated by the senate against a series of parameters to ensure that the economy is not impacted. There is enough monetary dissent that one can face even after introducing the bill. The immigration bill follows the same process. Immigrants are the backbone of America and the country will do its best to protect their fundamental rights.
illegal immigration is the issue
Trump is pushing for dramatic changes to the nation’s immigration system, however, his focus is primarily on illegal immigrants. As for skilled immigrant visa programs, he is proposing to replace the lottery system for issuing H1B work visas with a merit-based approach; the US receives nearly 85,000 applications each year. This could actually prove beneficial for meritorious STEM students from India who now stand a better chance to get the H1B visa easily.
Indian students have proven their worth time and again and the US has given them credit for this. Just look at some of the top American corporations – Google, Microsoft, Pepsi all have Indians at the helm. Do not get swayed by hearsay. Instead, focus on being the best and making the most of the opportunity at hand. The rewards will automatically follow.