Every other day comes with a surprise for immigrants in the United States. On April 11, a new USCIS rule for immigrants came into effect requiring all temporary visa holders, including H1B, and Green Card holders, to carry a valid ID proof all the time. And now, in a recent development, the US immigration agency (USCIS) issued an alert that updating your address with the US Postal Service (USPS) is not enough.

Are you moving to the US? Or, changing your residence within the US? It is crucial to update your new address or change of address with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It is now a mandate for all non-citizen visa holders and Green Card holders to update their address with USCIS within 10 days of relocation. Non-compliance may result in consequences. Non-compliance may result in fines and missed communications, such as biometrics appointment notices, green card renewal updates, or interview letters. However, certain visa holders are exempt to this USCIS rule for aliens.

PC: Freepik (paid image)

Why is it not enough to update your address only with USPS? Who must report address change to USCIS?

Many L1, O1, F1, and H1B visa holders are under the impression that updating their address change with USPS is enough to receive all official correspondence. However, USCIS’ most recent social media post clarified that all non-citizens in the US (except A & G visa holders and visitors under the Visa Waiver Program) must update their address directly with the immigration agency.

“All aliens in the U.S. must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving. This reporting requirement does not apply to A and G visa holders and visa waiver visitors. Failure to comply may result in fines or removal.”

How to update your address change with USCIS

USCIS recommends using the Enterprise Change of Address (E-COA) tool for quick and secure address updates. Accessible through your USCIS online account, this digital option eliminates paperwork and allows you to update multiple pending applications by entering the receipt numbers. It offers faster processing and real-time confirmation once your address is successfully updated in the USCIS records. To begin, visit the official USCIS Change of Address tool.

How to update your address offline If you don’t have a USCIS account?

If you don’t have a USCIS online account, you can update your latest US address by submitting Form AR-11, the Alien’s Change of Address Card. You can download it from the USCIS website, fill it out manually, and mail it to the address listed on the form. However, this process may take longer and it does not provide for an automated update to your address in the USCIS system.

Link your pending or approved immigration benefit requests when updating your address

When updating your change of address with USCIS online, it’s important to include the receipt numbers for each of your pending or approved immigration benefit requests. This ensures that your new address in USA is correctly associated with all active cases, preventing application processing delays and missed correspondence

Who are exempted from the USCIS mandate on updating change of address?

A and G visa holders are diplomats, foreign government officials, and employees of international organizations such as the United Nations or the World Bank. These visa holders are typically exempt from the standard immigration processes and requirements that apply to other non-citizens, including the 10-day address update rule.

Also Check: Travel to India and Fly Back to USA worry-free with These Essential Documents

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Not all news stories of travel nightmares in the US are rumors. Unfortunately, some are true. One such news of stringent security screening and harassment at US airports involves Shruti Chaturvedi, an Indian business woman who supports rural communities with business opportunities. She recently traveled to Alaska from India and had a harrowing experience as she was detained for long 8 hours at Anchorage Airport. All because a power bank in her luggage was deemed suspicious. What unfolded during her detention took not only Indians but the world aback.

She wrote about her ordeal on X.com, “Imagine being detained by Police and FBI for 8 hours, being questioned the most ridiculous things, physically checked by a male officer on camera, stripped off warm wear, mobile phone, wallet, kept in chilled room, not allowed to use a restroom, or make a single phone call, made to miss your flight – all because the airport security found your power bank in handbag ‘suspicious’.”

PC: instagram.com/shrutichaturvedii

This not just distressed her beyond measure but also ruined her trip to the US. This incident involving Shruti Chaturvedi is an eyeopener for Indians and others planning to visit USA on B1/B2 Visa. It has raised significant concerns over the intensified scrutiny and harsh treatment of international travelers at the ports of entry in Trump’s America. Reports of apprehension among tourists and visitors being frisked and interrogated for hours have prompted several countries, including the UK, Canada and Germany, to update advisories for their citizens traveling to USA.

The discovery of a power bank in carry-on bags is not too suspicious to detain travelers. However, the above incident apart, international airlines are dissuading passengers from carrying and using power banks on flights. Of late, several airlines have updated their cabin baggage policy to evade inflight fire incidents that power banks with lithium-ion batteries may cause.

EVA Air has banned the use and charging of power banks aboard flights starting 1 March 2025. Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Scoot have also barred passengers from using power banks and plugging the devices into the in-seat USB ports, effective from 1 April 2025. Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and Emirates have introduced similar rules.

Booking travel to USA from India? It’s crucial to stay informed about specific airline policies regarding power banks and other electronic devices. While no major international airlines operating flights to USA from India have bans carrying power banks outright, the guidelines have been tightened. Typically, power banks are allowed only in carry-on luggage and must not be used or charged in the air.

Can I carry a power bank on my flight to USA? 

Yes, you may carry in compliance of the policy of the airline that you are flying with. Most airlines allow power banks in carry-on bags, not in checked baggage. However, the onus of checking the updated airline policy is on you for hassle-free arrival in the US. You may be allowed to bring a power bank (with limited capacity) on board, but you may be barred from using it during a flight for safety concerns. Many airlines allow power banks with limited capacity, to say under 100Wh.

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Re-entry to the United States is challenging these days even for legal immigrants, amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown at ports of entry across the country. Green Card holders, who are lawful permanent residents in the US, are not exempt to the scrutiny that the CBP officers have intensified to assess the immigrant status and re-admissibility of foreign nationals (aliens) returning from their home countries or a trip abroad. Precisely, the Trump administration’s no-compromise efforts to fix loopholes in immigration and security has become a gnawing concern for legal immigrants too.

Elderly Indians among Green Card holders, who are flying back to USA after a winter trip to India, are in for an unprecedented surprise on arrival, as the CBP officers are interrogating them and inspecting their documents. Some cases have been reported wherein senior citizens faced intense pressure to sign Form I-407 to voluntarily surrender their Green Cards on arrival at US airports, according to immigration attorneys.

This AI-generated image is for illustration purpose only

Some elderly Green Card holders spend winter months in India as they are not yet accustomed to bone-rattling winters in America. They are among the targets of ‘Green Card abandonment’. The US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) states that those who spend more than 365 days in a calendar year outside the US are subject to ‘Green Card abandonment.’ At the same time, they can exercise their right to challenge this in court.

What is more worrisome is that a period of 180 days outside the US, even a shorter absence, has become a premise for the CBP officers to heavily scrutinize Green Card holders, senior citizens in particular.

What are the rights of Green Card holders at the US ports of entry in the above scenario? Immigration attorneys are receiving such queries every day. “Generally, an individual’s Green Card cannot be revoked at the port of entry unless he/she voluntarily signs Form I-407 to surrender it,” Kripa Upadhyay, an immigration attorney in Seattle, was quoted saying in an article by The Economic Times. “Only an immigration judge can take away a Green Card, so individuals should not sign Form I-407,” said another Indian-origin attorney in the US.

Mostly, Green Card holders’ absence from the US for 180 days or more in a calendar year, and their failure to maintain strong ties to the US are triggering CBP officers who have legal rights to inspect and interrogate immigrants returning from their home countries. At the same time, Green Card holders reserve the right to a hearing before an immigration judge if there are attempts to revoke their lawful permanent residence status, like secondary inspections, legal notices, unjust detention on arrival, and threats of deportation. A lawyer can be hired to represent their case during a court hearing.

Immigration attorneys caution Green Card holders against making frequent travel and spending more than 180 days outside the US in a year. If an individual has history of secondary inspections, he/she may come under the CBP scanner on return from overseas travel. It is recommended that Green Card holders maintain tangible evidence of their strong ties to the US, like employment, family, property, or filing tax returns during their overseas stay for months. They can show the evidence during a routine inspection or additional scrutiny by the US Customs officers.

As part of the immigration law enforcement by President Trump, Green Card holders must have a re-entry permit for re-admission to the USA after spending 365 days or more abroad. In view of this, immigration attorneys advise Green Card holders to apply for a re-entry permit before flying out of the US for a year. CBP officers have the right to deny re-admission to you for not having a re-entry permit. In short, you should carefully plan a long absence from the US soil to maintain your LPR status.

Immigration attorneys advise Green Card holders to cooperate with the CBP officers if their electronic devices, luggage, and/or social media accounts are examined. The US Customs officer may not need a warrant to check your devices and luggage for prohibited items, documents, or anti-US sentiments that could impact your re-entry to the country after a period of stay abroad. Everything from your belongings to travel history and social media communications is under the CBP scanner these days.

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No matter President Trump latches the door of America to keep the less affluent, the marginalized, and the underprivileged outside; some journeys from the streets or slums in India are destined for success in the United States, braving barriers and borders. Among them is the journey of Anuja from the streets of Old Delhi to the Oscars in Los Angeles. Anuja is an Oscar-nominated short film and a 9-year-old orphaned math whiz, who lives with her elder sister and works in a seedy garment factory.

Nominated for the Best Live Action Short Film at the 97^th Academy Awards, Anuja is a poignant drama on the struggles and aspirations of two budding women by a team of Indian-origin women producers, including Mindy Kaling, Guneet Monga, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Suchitra Mattai. From filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali to Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay to the present-day Anuja, the stories of innocence transit into journeys of experience – the experience that is grim and gloomy.

PC: Instagram.com/anujathefilm

Anuja and her elder sister, Palak not only stitch clothes in the garment factory but also weave dreams of change for better out of cut pieces (leftover fabric). They remain stuck between a system that perpetuates child labor and a narrow path to escape the system. The bags they secretly make from cut pieces earn them some rupees, a part of which buys them short-lived happiness from mundane luxuries (watching a movie and munching popcorn) and the remaining is saved for an uncertain future.

Like Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s short stories, the short film Anuja has an inconclusive ending. The curtain drops when Anuja, the protagonist, stands still contemplating on the road that diverges in two different directions – one to the factory where she toils for two meals a day and the other to a scholarship for free schooling. It represents the dilemma, mental conflict at large, of hundreds of thousands of children like Anuja, from slums and streets across India, who are tossed between the present and the future, reality and dreams.

Let’s now meet the real hero, Sajda Pathan, who lends absolute authenticity to essaying the titular character, Anuja, and brings it to life. Abandoned by her parents, Sajda Pathan grew up in the claustrophobic lanes of Old Delhi and survived through begging outside a temple before she was rescued by Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), a nonprofit NGO supporting street children in Delhi-NCR with non-formal education. Salaam Baalak Trust was founded with the proceeds from Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay which was nominated for an Oscar at the 61^st Academy Awards.

Unlike Anuja whose mathematical brilliance was exploited by her employer in the film, Sajda Pathan’s acting talent became a force of change for her fortune. Sajda shines as the protagonist Anuja as it is her second film. She debuted on the silver screen as a lead character in The Braid (La Tresse), a 2023 French feature film.

The Oscar-nominated Anuja short film is strongly backed by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Guneet Monga as executive producers. Guneet Monga was the executive producer of two Oscar-winning documentary films – Period. End of Sentence in 2019 and The Elephant Whisperers in 2023. She has produced a galaxy of critically acclaimed films, including Massan, Rang Rasiya, That Girl in Yellow Boots, Pagglait, and The Lunchbox.

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On one hand, Elon Musk-led DOGE team is working towards reducing federal deficit, and on the other hand, President Trump is coming up with ways to fuel the US economy. One such move is Trump’s Gold Card – the quickest route to US citizenship for the affluent. The Trump 2.0 administration introduced a new immigration initiative – ‘Gold Card’ program – with a hefty price tag for foreign millionaires seeking to bypass the Green Card backlog. The American Dream would soon be elusive to the less affluent.

This AI-generated image is for illustration purpose only

What is Trump’s Gold Card for rich immigrants?

Scheduled to be launched in the next two weeks, the Gold Card program promises to lay the easiest and shortest pathway to the most coveted US citizenship at a whopping cost of $5 million. The new US investor visa is designed to simplify the immigration process and reduce bureaucratic delays for high-net-worth foreign individuals. President Trump’s $5-million Gold Card visa is not an alternative to the existing EB-5 Visa. Rather, it aims to put an end to EB-5 Visa which the Trump government dismisses as “full of nonsense, ridiculous, and fraud.”

Another objective of replacing the EB5 investment visa with the new ‘Gold Card’ is to pump trillion dollars of foreign investment into the US economy. At a recent press conference, Trump projected that issuing approximately one million Gold Cards could inject around $5 trillion into the US economy. He went on to suggest that if up to ten million cards were issued, the total investment might reach an astounding $50 trillion—a move he believes would significantly lessen the nation’s $35 trillion debt burden.

Impact of Trump’s Gold Card Visa on Indians in USA

Many Indians on H1B, L1, and O1 visas have obtained lawful permanent residency through the EB5 investor program. A switch from a non-immigrant work visa to an immigrant visa like EB5 became their favorite path to secure a Green Card and live the American Dream. The EB-5 visa requires Green Card seekers to create minimum 10 jobs in USA by investing $800,000-$1.05 million, one-fifth of USD 5 million for the new ‘Gold Card’ visa. With EB-5 Visa being replaced with an exorbitantly priced Gold Card, non-immigrant Indians may find it impossible to obtain a Green Card through investment.

Also Read: Indian American CEO shares his short journey from H1B visa to Green Card

The premium US residency model or Gold Card signals a paradigm shift in Trump’s take on immigration. This mirrors the global trend of wealth-based immigration among countries vying to attract high-net-worth individuals. The UAE, Portugal, and Australia have been actively promoting golden visa schemes. Henley & Partners’ 2025 Global Residence Program Index ranks Greece as the top destination in this space, followed by Switzerland and Portugal.  The US’ entry to this competitive space, with Trump’s Gold Card program, commodifies lawful permanent residency and American citizenship.

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Everything from USAID funds to federal spending, H1B visa extension, H4 EAD, F1 OPT program, and ‘dunki’ routes for illegal immigration is under the ‘Trump 2.0’ scanner. Even B1/B2 visa, a record number of which is issued to Indians every year, is not exempt to the restrictive measures in the new US government. After liberal issuance of the US tourist visa to a fair percentage of two million Indians who traveled to USA in 2024, denial of B2 visa is again in the news.

The difficulty of cracking US visitor visa interviews has increased manifold in recent times. The viral news of B2 visa rejection to a 27-year-old senior Data analyst on career break brought it to the public notice one month ago. He wanted to visit his sister in California before he would start MBA studies at Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. But he was denied the US visitor visa under 214(b) though he showed a receipt of Rs 7 lakh paid to the B-school demonstrating his strong intention to come back to India for higher studies.

Six months ago, ‘How to crack B2 visa interview’ was trending after Arun Yogiraj, the famous sculptor of Ram Lalla idol for Ayodhya Ram Temple, failed to get a US tourist visa for a World Kannada Conference in Virginia and other events in the east coast. US visa delays and denials are common stories these days. Rejected visa applicants are scouring through Quora, Reddit, and Facebook for guidance on common reasons for B2 visa rejection.

Visa overstay during your past visit to USA is one of the most common reasons for B1/B2 visa rejection. If you extended your stay in USA for medical emergency or any other unavoidable reason, which was not reported to the concerned authorities, you are likely to face rejection of B2 visa renewal due to overstaying the visa period. In January 2024, an elderly couple from Gujarat were denied boarding to a Mumbai-Atlanta flight as their visa was revoked without their knowledge. Leaving no space for visa overstay is one of the promises that President Trump had made during his election campaigns.

What is being strictly enforced on the US visitor visa holders in Trump’s America is their arrival with confirmed return flight tickets. Previously, B1/B2 visa holders from India were able to enter the US with open flight tickets for return journey, taking advantage of loopholes in the system. Open tickets are unscheduled tickets for passengers with uncertain travel dates. It allows passengers to schedule their travel within a period stipulated by the airline. But not anymore! In the last week of January, an NRI shared that his parents on B2 visa were denied entry at Newark Airport because their return flight was not confirmed (they had open tickets).

Visa rejections not only ruin one’s travel plans but also cause dismay and incur financial losses. Over the past 12 months, the rejection of tourist visas to several countries including the US, the UK, and the UAE has cost Indians Rs 662 crore in loss. The US visa rejection rate accounted for 16.5% of every 100 visa applications submitted in 2024. With a shorter Dropbox eligibility window for Indians, B2 visa applicants are bracing for a turbulent road to America, from longer in-person interview wait times to potential travel disruptions.

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Effective 10 February 2025, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services revised the US visa interview waiver (Dropbox) eligibility for Indians seeking to renew their non-immigrant visas such as H1B, H4, and F-1. The Dropbox program simplifies the visa renewal process by eliminating the need to attend in-person visa interviews at the US Embassy and Consulates for those eligible for it.

The Dropbox eligibility criteria for Indians have changed from 48 months to 12 months. Precisely, the window of visa expiration, which was broad earlier, has been reduced to 12 months. Starting 10 FEB 2025, you will be eligible for a visa renewal interview waver if your visa is valid or expired within the past 12 months. This update equally applies to individual visa holders and their dependent family members.

This image is AI-generated

“My H1B visa expired before 12 months from now. I have a Dropbox appointment scheduled in March. But the new update renders me ineligible for in-person view interview waiver. Should I cancel the Dropbox appointment and book a new interview appointment?”

Hundreds of similar queries are pouring in on social media and forums. A close look at the updated eligibility criteria for US visa renewal interview waiver or Dropbox will help get your queries addressed:

• You’re a citizen or lawful resident of India.
• You have a previous US visa in the same class as the visa for which you wish to apply
• Your visa in the same class is still valid or expired within the last 12 months
• Your most recent visa was not lost, stolen, cancelled, revoked, or marked CWOP
• You have no refusals for a visa in any class after the most recent visa issuance

Dropbox appointment eligibility criteria for children under 14 years

• Children should apply before their 14^th birthday
• In B1/B2 visa class, children must submit photocopies of both parents’ passport biographic information and the valid US visa page
• In any other visa class, children must submit photocopies of either parent’s passport biographic information and the valid US visa page.

Dropbox appointment eligibility criteria for those aged 80 years or older

• They should apply on or after 80^th birthday
• Their most recent visa application was not refused.

Reduced Dropbox eligibility window and its impact on Indians

It has hit hard many visa holders, particularly those who have already traveled to India for pre-scheduled Dropbox appointments, as per the interview waiver eligibility criteria valid before this February 10. With the revised criteria having taken effect, their Dropbox appointments stand automatically cancelled, requiring them to book fresh appointments for in-person consular interviews at the US Embassy or Consulates. Restricted travel to the United States, the country of residence and employment for them, is a real ordeal unless their visas are renewed.

The interview waiver rule change for visa renewals has disrupted many Indians’ pre-planned travel to India for Dropbox appointments in February 2025. It has left them at a loss over forced cancellation of flight tickets to India. Those who booked non-refundable flights without travel insurance may incur a hefty loss against trip cancelation closer to their scheduled departure dates.

The revision of the Dropbox eligibility window back to the pre-pandemic 12 month mandate is likely to cause travel disruption for US tourist visa holders in India. Those who were eligible for B2 visa interview waivers before 10 February 2025 will face longer in-person interview wait times, which is currently 450 days on average at the US Embassy and Consulates in India.

FAQs: How US Visa Interview Waiver Update Impacts Indians on H1B, H4, B1/B2, L1/L2, F1/F2 

My H1B visa stamp expired 11 months ago. It will be 12^th month once February ends. Am I eligible for a visa interview waiver next month? In March, I will be into the 13^th month of my H1B visa expiration?

You may not be eligible for a Dropbox appointment given the new change in the eligibility criteria. You will have to apply for an in-person interview appointment in India.

I recently changed my status from H1B to H4. In view of the new update on the Dropbox appointment criteria for Indians, do I have to schedule an in-person interview? Or, it falls in the same class?

You would have been eligible for an interview waiver for visa renewal in the same class as your previous one (H1B). Your current visa status (H4) requires you to apply for an in-person interview appointment.

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If you are an NRI in the US, the UK, Canada, or Australia, India’s Union Budget 2025 has brought some major tax changes that could impact your finances. The Indian government wants to ensure tax fairness between NRIs and resident Indians while tightening compliance measures to prevent tax evasion. From stricter income reporting to possible changes in tax treaties, these new regulations would affect your investments, savings, and money transfers to India. Whether you are a student or a professional working abroad, or have financial ties to India, it is important to understand the Union Budget 2025 highlights for NRIs.

NRI Tax Regulations: Union Budget 2025 Highlights

The following are the major changes that directly impact Non-Resident Indians, including students, professionals, and investors living abroad. Let’s break it down in simple terms and see what is in store for you.

Expanded Residency Definition for Taxation on NRIs

Earlier, NRIs were taxed on their Indian-sourced income only if they stayed in India for more than 182 days in a financial year. However, in the Budget 2020, this was reduced to 120 days for high-income individuals. Now, the Union Budget 2025 for NRIs hinted at even stricter rules, making it harder for students and professionals with financial ties in India to maintain their NRI status. If you frequently send money home, hold investments, or have financial interests in India, you might face tax obligations sooner than expected.

“It is proposed to bring parity between the taxation of capital gains on transfer of capital assets between residents and non-residents being Foreign Institutional investors, on their income by way of long-term capital gains on transfer of securities,” Sitharaman said in her Budget 2025 speech.

Increased Scrutiny of NRIs’ Foreign-Earned Income

Indian tax authorities are tightening their grip on foreign-earned income through enhanced data-sharing agreements with multiple countries, especially those that have Double Tax Avoidance Agreements (DTAA) with India. This means that if you are an Indian student or professional working abroad, your foreign earnings might need to be reported in India—even if you have no active income sources in the country. The government’s goal is to prevent tax evasion, but for NRIs, this means additional compliance and potential tax liabilities.

Potential Impact on Tax Treaty Benefits

India has tax treaties with several countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, which allow NRIs to avoid being taxed twice on the same income. However, the government is now looking to revise these agreements to close loopholes which are often used for tax avoidance. This could mean stricter documentation requirements, higher withholding tax rates on foreign remittances, and increased scrutiny on those claiming tax relief under DTAA. If you’re an NRI relying on these treaties, it’s time to reassess your financial planning.

For Indian students staying in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia on post-study work visas, these regulatory changes bring added financial responsibilities. The risk of double taxation is higher if finances aren’t structured properly.

Should this be a concern for Indian students abroad?

While the new tax regulations proposed or introduced in the Union Budget 2025 are not an immediate concern for lakhs of Indian students abroad, it is an alarming bell for them. Indian students earning during optional practical training in the USA or seeking H1B sponsorships may come under the income tax radar of India, as per the Union Budget highlights this year.

For the students or young professionals who intend to return to India in the future, it’s crucial to plan your finances proactively. Reporting foreign assets, keeping accurate records of earnings, and ensuring compliance with Indian tax laws will help avoid potential tax troubles down the road. Staying informed and prepared is the key to navigating the volatile tax landscape of India.

Budget 2025 Income Tax implications for NRIs

Increased Reporting Requirements

Indian tax authorities are likely to demand detailed disclosures about overseas earnings, investments, and bank accounts. If these are not reported accurately, individuals may face penalties or legal action under India’s anti-tax evasion laws. Keeping records and filing tax returns correctly will now be more crucial than ever.

Complexity in Financial Transfers

Students and professionals sending money to India for family support, savings, or investments could face more scrutiny. Transactions through the Liberalized Remittance Scheme (LRS) may be subject to additional compliance checks, especially for those transferring large sums into Indian accounts. Stricter regulations could lead to delays or higher tax obligations on these remittances.

Higher Tax Liabilities for Returning NRIs

Many NRIs plan to return to the home country after working abroad for a few years. However, if their foreign assets—such as savings, stocks, or real estate—are not properly declared, they may face taxation upon repatriation. The Foreign Asset Disclosure Rule under the Black Money Act imposes severe penalties for non-disclosure, making it essential for returning NRIs to handle their finances with extra caution.

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Is the US President above the law? Could he scrape off a constitutional guarantee to those born on the American soil? Is it legal for the President to violate or deny a constitutional amendment? Is an executive order above the Constitution?

These questions are making waves on the international fore, as Donald Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship for the US-born children of immigrants, right after he took oath as 47^th President of America. This is part of Trump’s hardline immigration policies which could not take shape during his first term in the White House’s Oval Office. In USA, birthright citizenship is a 150-year-old constitutional principle that says, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States.”

PC: Freepik.com

“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in, has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States for 85 years with all of those benefits. It’s ridiculous. It has to end…” Trump said rhetorically during his election campaigns promising to tighten the noose around immigration, while seemingly unaware of the fact that America is one of the 30 countries (including Canada) offering birthright citizenship, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

The US Constitution was amended 150 years ago (the 14^th Amendment in 1868) to include and protect the right to citizenship for those born or naturalized on the American soil. But President Trump’s executive order expounded the argument, “The 14th Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States…”

Who will be affected by Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship?

The Trump order eliminating birthday citizenship will affect not only undocumented immigrants, but also legal non-immigrants including H1B, H4, B2, F1, F2, L1, L2 and other visa holders. Undeniably, a majority of legal non-immigrant visa holders in the US are Indians.

As per the presidential order briefing, kids born after 30 days from the date of the order issued shall not be granted US citizenship if their fathers are neither US citizens nor lawful permanent residents, and if their mothers are lawfully but temporarily present in the US, like on a tourist or student visa. President Trump has already directed federal agencies not to issue American passports for and not to accept US citizenship documents issued by state governments for those kids.

The presidential order further states “the privilege of US citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States at the time of said person’s birth was lawful but temporary (such as, but not limited to, visiting the United States under the auspices of the Visa Waiver Program or visiting on a student, work, or tourist visa) and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.”

It is evident from the above that Trump’s executive order to end US birthright citizenship may also affect Indian families stuck in the Green Card backlog, as they are neither lawful permanent residents nor US citizens. Uncertainty looms large over the future of the US-born kids of a million Indians stuck in the Green Card backlog, which is being anticipated to have nearly 22 lakh Indians holding various US work visas by the year 2030.

President Trump’s plan to erase the birthright citizenship guarantee in the 14^th Amendment of the US Constitution has split up the nation into two different hemispheres; one supporting the POTUS, with their immovable faith in his vision, and the other condemning his plan as a ‘blatantly unconstitutional attempt to sow division’, thereby encouraging hate crimes against immigrants in the US.

Even Trump’s defenders, who are collectively referred to as immigration hardliners, are divided in opinion. One group of them finds birthright citizenship a ‘great magnet for illegal immigration in the USA’, while the other group has thumbed down the executive order to end birthright citizenship for the US-born children of immigrants. Notably, the American Civil Liberties Union has denounced Donald Trump’s interpretation of the 14^th Amendment of the US Constitution.

Interestingly, a survey in 2015 by the Pew Research Center found that 37% of Americans questioned the relevance of birthright citizenship, before Trump rose to the presidential power. The number of babies born to undocumented immigrants meteorically rose to a whopping 370,000 in 2016, according to the Pew Research Center. The antagonists of birthright citizenship sarcastically call those babies ‘anchor babies’.

Nearly 200,000 Indian American children from a Microsoft engineer to ‘DALCA Kids’ (Deferred Action for Legal Childhood Arrivals) are caught up in the turbulence of immigration in the Trump regime. President Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship may shatter the ecosystem of US immigration, according to legal scholars.

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High-paying job placements are on the decline for MBA graduates of Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and other top B-schools in America, according to a recent study by The Wall Street Journal. 23% of Harvard Business School’s 2024 MBA batch have remained unemployed for the past 3 months. It provides a contrast to the non-corporate sector with myriad opportunities for purpose-driven leadership that zeroes in on a noble vision and mission, rather than revenues and ROI.

Teach for America, one of the largest nonprofits in the US, has decided to trust Indian American Aneesh Sohoni with its top leadership baton from the departing CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard. Aneesh Sohoni, as the next CEO of Teach for America, is looking to come back home in April 2025. He euphorically looks upon this opportunity as his homecoming as he started his career and the journey to becoming a leading educationist at Teach for America in 2009.

PC: Twin-cities.umn.edu

Teach for America is a nationwide community of changemakers, including “leaders who teach, and teachers who lead” to illuminate your minds from low-income families in US public schools. As CEO of the organization with 35 years of impact on the uneven landscape of American education, Aneesh Sohoni will be heading a network of 70,000 alumni, teachers, tutors, and staff to prepare every child for a bright future, thereby driving the country’s socio-economic growth.

Aneesh whose Indian immigrant parents live in Minneapolis, was in the pool of promising college graduates that Teach for America had recruited in early 2009. Two years of teaching English as a corps member of TFA set his career path forever. “My life changed when I became a corps member. My students in my Twin Cities high school classroom were incredible and their potential was only matched in size by the challenges they faced in an unjust education system. I knew then I needed to make this my life’s work,” Aneesh shared in a LinkedIn post.

His passion for transformative education catapulted him to Tennessee where he worked as the Chief of Staff to Assistant Commissioner for Teachers and Leaders for nearly 3 years. The role of a project director at a New York-based nonprofit that strives to improve America’s education system in high-needs schools was his next venture for two years. His dedication to uplifting communities through education led to him being roped in as Teach for America’s Executive Director for Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

After shouldering the responsibilities of a zonal Executive Director for TFA, from 2016 through 2021, Aneesh Sohoni took a leap as CEO of One Million Degrees in Chicago. OMD empowers Greater Chicago’s deserving community college students from low-income families to excel in education, career, and life, so they could become important cogs and wheels in America’s growth engine. As CEO of One Million Degrees, Aneesh collaborated with several bodies of civic importance, like City Colleges of Chicago and Complete College of America, to further drive the impact of OMD in the past 3 years.

In his new role as Teach for America’s CEO, Aneesh Sohoni believes, “the current trajectory of education and learning in our country does not have to define our future,” and says, “I am proud that TFA prioritizes coalition-building with students and communities to achieve a shared vision for a future that is brighter than today.”

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