With the H1B visa registration window for fiscal 2026 opening on March 7, the US Department of Homeland Security brought new H1B visa rules to reform the system for both American employers and foreign workers. Effective from January 17, 2025, the H1B program modernization rule redefines ‘specialty occupation’, enhances transparency, reduces visa fraud, assures seamless visa extension, and updates the lottery process.

Beneficiary-Centric Selection Process

Unlike previous years, multiple employers cannot submit applications for the same candidate. USCIS has implemented enhanced measures to prevent duplicate filings by employers for the same beneficiary and ensure that each applicant has an equal chance. Any employer submitting multiple registrations for the same candidate will face disqualification from the H1B lottery system.

New Definition of ‘Specialty Occupation’

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has refined the definition of “specialty occupation” as part of the H1B visa modernization rule in 2025. Previously, possessing a bachelor’s degree in a specific field might have sufficed. Now, your degree must be directly related to the position and the job responsibilities. Employers can list multiple acceptable fields of study, but each must have a clear connection to the job description.

Regular Worksite Inspections

To prevent H1B visa fraud and misuse, the USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) unit will conduct more frequent worksite inspections, including at third-party client sites. Employers who deny these inspections risk having their petitions denied or revoked. It is essential for companies to maintain detailed records and ensure full compliance with H-1B regulations.

H1B Extension Approval without Re-evaluation

In the new H1B visa rules, USCIS officers are now instructed to defer to prior approvals when deciding on H-1B extension requests. Only if there has been no material change in the previous approval. This means if your job, employer, and circumstances remain unchanged, your visa extension request is more likely to be approved without re-evaluation. However, all required documents must still be provided.

Other H1B Visa Updates for Indians

• The H1B registration fee has increased from $10 to $215 per applicant. This move is intended to deter non-serious applicants and reduce unnecessary applications.
• Employers seeking to extend the H-1B worker’s stay must now submit proof that the worker has maintained their previous visa status. This requirement also applies to H-4 dependents.
• To ensure fairness and prevent fraud, USCIS will conduct more frequent audits and reviews of H-1B registrations during the month of March 2025. Employers must maintain accurate records and provide truthful information to avoid penalties.

The H-1B visa program is evolving under the Trump administration, bringing both positive reforms and stricter compliance measures. Undoubtedly, with the new H1B visa rules for fiscal 2026, the focus is shifting towards a fair and merit based selection process. Whether President Trump brings additional challenges or opens up new pathways, it remains to be seen. For now, the key is to stay informed, act promptly, and prepare thoroughly.

Subscribe to Travel Beats’ free newsletter for latest visa, immigration, travel, aviation and community news right in your email inbox. Travel Beats, a subsidiary of Indian Eagle Travel, is a leading community portal for Indians in America.

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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.”

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“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.

The post Trump Scraps Birthright Citizenship for US-born Kids of Immigrants; It will Mostly Affect H1B and H4 Visa Holders appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Durga Puja is one of the grandest and most-awaited Indian festivals in October 2024. It is a most spectacular celebration in the Indian state of Bengal. However, the festival is celebrated with equal enthusiasm wherever Bengalis are in the world. About two dozen of Durga Puja events in New Jersey and New York transform the northeast cost into a mini Bengal with cultural exuberance this time of the year. Bengali associations across New York and New Jersey started preparations months ago, so that the festivity does not fall short of joy and happiness in their adopted home. They can live away from home, but can’t survive without the blessings of Maa Durga, the bliss of bhoger kichudi, the beats of dhak, and the ecstasy of dunuchi naach.

Travel Beats, a leading overseas Indian community portal by Indian Eagle, recommends some of the best places for Durga puja 2024 in New York and New Jersey.  “Elo re Dugga elo re…” 

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First-ever Durga Puja at Times Square, New York

2024 will see the first-ever Durga Puja celebration at Times Square, a most happening commercial hub in New York City. Usually, Times Square is a popular venue for Diwali, Yoga, and Indian Independence Day celebrations. Unlike other Durga puja events in USA, the 2-day Times Square Durga Puja is a free event for all, regardless of their nationality and religion. It is being organized by Bengali Club of USA .

• Date: October 5 and 6
• Contact: ecdpanewyork@gmail.com, +1315-586-3372

Sanskriti Durga Puja 2024: Buffalo, New York

Sanskriti, a Bengali cultural association in Buffalo, is one of the best and oldest Durga Puja celebrations in New York. Founded in 1974-75, the Sanskriti Durga Puja is a cultural platform for the present generation of Bengali Diaspora in the northeast US to have a tryst with their heritage, literature, and traditions thousands of miles away from India. Sanskriti also celebrates other festivals with equal enthusiasm. They also organize Kojagori Lokkhi puja at the same venue.

Sanskriti is looking forward to a live performance by Snigdhajit Bhowmik and his band of musicians on October 6. Their event was graced by such renowned performing artists as Purna Das Boul and Bhupen Hazarika in the years gone by.

• Dates: October 4,5, and 6
• Venue: Hindu Cultural Society, 1595 N French Road, Getzville, NY 14068
• Contact: president@buffalosanskriti.org, +1 716-331-7657
• Website: Buffalosanskriti.org

New York Kali Mandir Durga Puja, Baldwin

New York Kali Mandir located close to JFK International Airport is the destination if you wish to celebrate Durga Puja in the most traditional manner. Inspired by the Dakshineswar Kali Temple of Kolkata, NYKM is home to Goddess Kali worshiped by Bengalis and other Indian communities. Founded in 2005, the temple doubles up as a community organization and helps preserve the age-old Bengali cultural traditions in New Yok Metropolitan Area. The temple has a well-stocked library for all age groups. Those interested in volunteering can serve the temple this Durga Puja.    

• Dates: October 8 to 12
• Venue: 614 Seaman Ave, Baldwin, NY, 11510
• Contact: nykmdevotee@gmail.com, +1 516-771-5254
• Website: Nykalimandir.org

Also read: Sanyal Brothers Offer Best Kolkata Street Food with Chai in New York

Durga Puja at Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center of New York

Durga Puja at the Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center of New York for the followers of the Ramakrishna order is among the best Durga puja celebrations in the Greater New York Area. Founded in 1933, the center organizes the puja to worship the Divine Mother and seek Her blessings for the humankind. The chanting of sacred hymns and the singing of devotional songs in chorus are the mainstay of their celebration without pomp and in strict adherence to the principles laid out by Belur Math, the headquarters of Ramakrishna Missions worldwide.   

• Dates: October 13
• Venue: 17 E 94th St, New York, NY 10128
• Contact: (212) 534-9445
• E-mail:  rvcenternewyork@gmail.com
• Website: Ramakrishna.org

East Coast Cultural Association Durga Puja, NY

The East Coast Cultural Association, one of the youngest communities in New York, has planned a spectacular Durga puja celebration this year to mark its third anniversary. Founded in 2022, the non-profit Bong organization strives to create the ambience of parar pujo in Kolkata through a grand display of traditional Bengali culture, ranging from mouthwatering dishes to live music programs, at their puja venue. The schedule of ECCA Durga Puja 2024 includes three musical evenings by Somlata on OCT 18, Snigdhajit Bhowmik on OCT 19, and Prashmita Paul on OCT 20.

• Dates: October 18, 19 and 20
• Venue: Gujarati Samaj Hall, 17315 Horace Harding Expy, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365
• Contact: eastcoastcultural@gmail.com
• Website: Eccany.com

Utsov Durga Puja 2024 in New Jersey

Utsov Inc. is known for one of the biggest Durga Puja events in New Jersey. Their celebration, both traditional and contemporary, has a number of ‘wow’ factors – delectable Bengali food, Sindoor Khela, Dhunuchi dance, cultural programs, and art competition for kids. East Brunswick near Edison is the location of their puja venue that will turn into a Disneyland of festivities and revelry for two days as Utsov Inc. has invited Deep Chatterjee, a renowned folk singer, and Saberi Bhattacharya, a popular playback singer, to enthral the audience with folk music of Bengal.

Krosswindz, a Grassroot Grammy Award winning folk-fusion band from Kolkata, will churn out popular folk numbers and take the exuberance of Utsov Durga Puja 2024 celebration to the fever pitch on October 13. Prior registration is compulsory to enter the venue and attend the live band shows.

• Dates: October 12 and 13
• Contact: 732 648 7461 or 313 338 8768, utsov@utsov.org
• Venue: Jo Ann Magistro Performing Arts Center, 200 Rues Lane, East Brunswick, NJ 
• Website: Utsov.org

Also read: Indian Food is a Pure Bliss at This Temple Kitchen in New York

Garden State Puja Committee’s 43rd Durga Puja in New Jersey

One of the oldest and biggest Durga Puja events in New Jersey is organized by the Bengalis of Garden State Puja Committee, Jersey City. GSPC Durga Utsov 2024 will celebrate its 43rd anniversary over foot-tapping numbers of the most popular bands, Cactus on 12 OCT and Chandrabindoo on 13 OCT. Bongobhoj – a traditional Bengali food fare – is the mainstay of their celebration.

The pandal modelled on thakur dalan, a distinct feature of mansions dating back to the feudal era of Bengal, has already been shipped from Kolkata to New Jersey. This is the biggest attraction of GSPC Durga Puja in Jersey City this year.

• Dates: October 12 and 13
• Venue: William L. Dickinson High School, 2 Palisade Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07306
• Contact: +1 201-993-4577 | info@gardenstatepuja.org
• Website: gspcnj.com

New Jersey Kallol Durga Puja 2024  

Among the Durga Puja celebrations in New Jersey, Kallol Durga Puja hits the headlines every year. Of the oldest Bengali organizations in the northeast coast, Kallol will transform Somerset into a mini city of joy with cultural and musical extravaganza for 4 days, OCT 10-13.

Babul Supriyo will make the audience groove to his hit numbers on October 10, while the Nandi sister duo will set the stage on fire with their foot-tapping music on October 11. Madhubanti Bagchi from Mumbai will take over the stage on October 12 and her soulful songs will make the evening unforgettable. Kallol New Jersey Durga Puja 2024 will culminate in amazing rides on a rollercoaster of music by Piu Mukherjee and Sudesh Bhosle on October 13.

• Dates: October 10 to 13
• Venue: Ukranian Cultural Center, 135 Davidson Avenue, Somerset, New Jersey 08873
• Contact: 732.290.5218
• Website: Kallol.com

Also read: Why Bengal worships living goddesses during Durga puja

Agrani Durga Puja, Plainfield NJ

Agrani Durga Puja in Plainfield near Edison is one of the 10 best Indian events in New Jersey in October 2024. Like WomenNow TV’s Durga Puja in California, the women members of Agrani NJ organize the puja, from fabulous feasting to cultural extravaganza. Equally popular with the Bong and non-Bengalis in Central New Jersey, Agrani Durga Puja promises to be an exhilarating experience for music connoisseurs, as singer Javed Ali of ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, ‘Delhi-6’, and ‘Rockstar’ fame from Delhi will set the stage on fire on OCT 6.

• Dates: October 5 and 6
• Venue: Plainfield High School, 950 Park Avenue
• Contact: Info@agranicnj.org

Alor Benu Durga Puja in Edison, NJ 

The ‘Ekchala’ style Durga idol is the main attraction of this humble celebration by a few Bengali families in Edison, NJ. This is more a gharoa (homely) puja than a community puja. The festive evenings from October 4-6 will see various cultural indulgences by the organizers and their families. The puja schedule is chock-a-block with traditional rituals from pushpanjali to the Goddess in the morning to dhunuchi naach in the evening to family dinner at night.

• Dates: October 4,5,6
• Venue: 2 Farmhaven Avenue, Edison, NJ 08820
• Contact: aamantran@aalorbenu.net, 207-807-7556 (Suvro)

New Jersey Ananda Mandir Durga Puja 2024

Durga Puja at Ananda Mandir in New Jersey is a most traditional one. Hundreds of New Jersey Indians throng the shrine to immerse themselves in festive revelries for five days. New Jersey Ananda Mandir is one of the few Hindu temples in USA that follows the Bengali calendar precisely for celebrating Durga Puja and other festivals. The temple that also doubles up as an Indian cultural center was commissioned in 1995 and completed in 2003. You may need to pre-register online. On successful registration, you would receive a confirmation email, which you can show to the volunteers at the temple complex.

• Dates: October 8 to 12
• Venue: 269 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873-5212
• Contact: (732) 873-9821 or info@anandamandir.org
• Website: Anandamandir.org

Garden State Cultural Association: Plainfield, NJ

Among the best places for Durga Puja 2024 in New Jersey, Garden State Cultural Association (GSCA) is gearing up for their 33^rd year of the celebration. GSCA, a nonprofit Indian American organization of Bengalis in Plainfield, leaves no stone unturned to make Durga Puja a grand get-together of not only Bengalis but also other Indian communities over delicious food, shopping, and cultural entertainment. The interesting lineup of events include talent shows and drawing competitions.

Registration is compulsory to attend the celebration, especially the cultural programs. You can register on their website given below. Popular Indian singers Richa Sharma and Pousali Banerjee are among the eminent guests this year.  

• Dates: October 19 and 20
• Venue: Plainfield High School, 950 Park Avenue, Plainfield, NJ 07060
• Contact: (908) 754-3079 or contact@gsca.us
• Website: web.gsca.us

Also Read: Payal Saha’s Kati Roll from Kolkata Rocks in New York

Bengali Cultural Society Durga Puja: South Jersey

Of New Jersey Indian events in October 2024, Bengali Cultural Society’s Durga Puja celebration is a lot more than food, fun and frolic. Rather, it mirrors the rich cultural heritage of Bengal on the American soil. Founded in 1978, Bengali Cultural Society is not just one of the oldest Bengali diaspora associations but a philanthropic organization too. They publish their own magazine Sanskriti every year and run a Bengali language school for their young ones and those interested in learning the language. Each day of the puja will culminate in an authentic Bengali community dinner.

You can check out their extensive menu for festive bhuribhoj on their Facebook page. Among the Durga Puja organizers in USA, only BCS South Jersey is presenting ‘Chitrangada‘, Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s dance drama based on a popular tale from the Mahabharata.

• Dates: October 11, 12 and 13
• Venue: Indian Cultural Center, 820 NJ-73, Marlton, NJ 08053
• Contact: info@bcssj.org
• Website: Bcssj.org

New Jersey Bharat Sevashram Sangha Durga Puja

The New Jersey chapter of Bharat Sevashram Sangha celebrates Durga Puja to worship the Supreme Power of the universe. The chanting of slokas and hymns reverberates in the air of the ashram temple on the five days of Durga Puja. Devotees can soak in numinous vibes that the ambience is rife with this time of the year. Bharat Sevashram Sangha is one of the few places where all the rituals of Durga Puja are strictly followed in compliance with the scriptures. Devotees are requested to pre-register for the puja.

• Dates: October 8 to 13
• Location: 3490 Route-27 Kendral Park, New Jersey 08824
• Contact: 732 422 8880/ 347 735 2984 | devotees@sevashramsangha.org
• Website: sevashramsangha.org

Trinayani Durga Puja in Plainsboro, New Jersey

A non-profit organization established in 2022 with the aim to promote India’s rich art and culture, Trinayani is eyeing a theme-based Durga Puja celebration in a grander fashion this year. In its inaugural year (2022), Trinayani was the first and only one to have worshipped the protima (idol) made by Prabasi Bengalis among the community members. The Bong being great foodies complement their festivities with sumptuous food.

The musical acts to be performed by Raghab Chatterjee and jazzy Somlata Chowdhury, on October 2 and 13 respectively, will make you not only groove to live music but also feel nostalgic. You may contact Trinayani for registrations.

• Dates: October 12 and 13
• Venue: Community Middle School, Plainsboro Township, NJ, USA
• Contact: contact@trinayaninj.org  
• Website: www.trinayaninj.org

PBA Agomoni and Durga Puja 2024

Princeton Bengali Association in New Jersey will invoke Maa Durga on Mahalaya (September 29) through their ‘Agomoni’ program and celebrate Durga Puja on October 20 in Plainsboro. Dhunuchi naach, Sindoor khela and other traditional rituals are the hallmarks of their humble celebration. Rishi Panda, a popular YouTuber and singer, has been invited for a musical evening at PBA Durga Puja in New Jersey. The event is free for kids (5 years and below).

• Date: 20 October
• Venue: Community Middle School, Plainsboro NJ
• Contact: pbanj.org

Travel Beats – a subsidiary of Indian Eagle, a most trusted travel-booking partner of Indian Diaspora in America – publishes inspiring community stories and latest visa, immigration, as well as travel news. Sign up for our newsletter and stay up-to-date.

The post These Durga Puja Events in New York and New Jersey Turn East Coast into a Mini Bengal This Time of Year appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

India is all set to celebrate the 78th Independence Day this August 15, and so are Indians in America. The way Indians abroad celebrate the Independence of Mother India is no way different from the celebration at home. Hence, like previous years, the calendar of August 2024 is full of Independence Day events for nearly 5 million Indian-origin population in the United States.

This exclusive list of major Indian Independence Day 2024 events in USA is brought to you by Travel Beats, a leading community portal for the Indian Diaspora in America. Travel Beats is a subsidiary by Indian Eagle, the most-trusted travel-booking partner for Indians in America. These events not only celebrate the Independence of Mother India, but also Indian Americans’ roots, culture and pride of being desi to the core.

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New York India Day Parade 2024

The New York India Day Parade is a special mention among the Indian Independence Day events in the United States. Scheduled on 18 August 2024, the parade will kick off at 12 noon from 38^th Street at Madison Avenue and feature a spectacular Ram Mandir tableau. Billed as the largest Indian Independence Day event outside of India, the NYC India Day Parade promises to be a vibrant celebration of Indian culture and heritage in the heart of New York City, with a great lineup of performances by different age-groups.

Actor Pankaj Tripathi is the Guest of Honor at the 42^nd Indian Day Parade NYC. Famed for his power-packed performances in Indian Cinema and web series, Tripathi’s presence is sure to add an extra spark to the much-awaited event. Organized by the Federation of India Association (FIA), the patriotic event was graced by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar from Bengaluru in 2023. As important as the Diwali holiday in New York City, the India Day Parade follows FIA’s Empire State Building lighting, a must watch.

Atlanta Festival of India 2024

Since India’s 50th Independence Day, the Indian American Cultural Association of Atlanta has been organizing the Festival of India as one of the biggest Indian Independence Day events in USA. Scheduled on 17 August 2024, the 28^th Atlanta Festival of India will take place at Gas South Arena in Duluth, some 28 miles from Atlanta, GA. With music, feasting, shopping, yoga, chess, dance and artistic displays, the Festival of India – Atlanta is a ticketed event. You can look forward to a day of patriotic fervor at the cultural event sponsored by Delta Airlines and others.

Boston India Day Festival 2024

Organized by the Indian Association of Greater Boston, India Day Festival is one of the major events for Indians in New England, MA. Scheduled on 17 August, the IAGB’s India Day 2024 will celebrate 77 years of Independence with ‘Naach: Rhythms of the World’ at Hatch Shell Memorial, from 2 pm to 6:30 pm. ‘Naach: Rhythms of the World’ is highly anticipated to be a vibrant cultural program featuring music and dance performances by various Indian communities from New England. In 2023, the Indian Association of Greater Boston honored some trailblazers and achievers from the local community. You can visit www.iagb.org for more information about this culturally immersive event in Boston.

Fremont FOG India Day Parade, California

Of all the Indian Independence Day events in the US, Fremont’s FOG India Day Parade is a two-day celebration scheduled from 10 am on 17 August to 6 pm on 18 August. Sponsored by Air India and supported by the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, the 32^nd Festival of India in Fremont CA promises a comprehensive exploration of Indian culture, arts, craft, fashion, food and literature. The fair or mela with over 120 booths and exhibits that local Indian businesses put up to showcase their diverse merchandise is a major attraction of FOG India Day Parade and Festival at 39439 Paseo Padre pkwy in Fremont.

Los Angeles India Independence Day 2024

Other than looking forward to the upcoming Air India flights from LAX to India, SoCal Indians are eagerly waiting for the Independence Day event 2024 by the India Association of Los Angeles (IALA). Scheduled on August 24 (5pm – 10pm PDT), the 25^th Indian Independence Day will take place at Hjelte Sports Center, Burbank Blvd, Encino, CA 91436. The Guests of Honor are Dr. Srikar Reddy, the Consul General of India in San Francisco, and Congressman Brad Sherman. Since 1999, Los Angeles’ India Independence Day Celebration has been fostering unity and pride among Southern California Indians through music, dance, food, and artistry.

Venue: Hjelte Sports Center, Burbank Blvd, Encino, CA 91436

Illinois India Day Parade 2024

If you are looking to having a fun-filled day this Independence Day, you can mark 11 August on your calendar for the India Day Parade 2024 in Naperville, Illinois. One of the biggest events for Indians in the Midwest US, the India Day Parade will have its 10^th anniversary celebrated in a grander way this year. Organized by the Indian Community Outreach Organization, the most-anticipated event features an array of food, fun, fashion, other than dazzling fireworks, electrifying music, and mesmerizing dance performance.

A colorful, mile-long parade with decorated floats is the mainstay of the India Day Parade that will take place at Rotary Hill, 440 Aurora AVN, Naperville, which is a one-hour drive from Chicago. A live concert by Shankar Mahadevan, whom Bollywood’s music composer duo – Salim-Sulaiman – will accompany, will mark the 10^th anniversary of the event.

Michigan India Day 2024

Every year, Indians of Michigan get together to celebrate the Indian Independence Day as India Day in Novi, only 25 miles away from Detroit. Scheduled on 17 August (11 am – 8 pm), the India Day 2024, organized by the India League of America (ILA), is more or less the same as other Indian Independence Day events in the Midwest US. With traditional Indian food, dance and music, the India Day in Novi, MI will surely immerse you in the colors and flavors of India. Dalip Singh Rana aka the Great Khali, a renowned Indian American wrestler, is the chief celebrity guest this year.

Venue: Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48374

Indian Independence Day in Loudoun County, Virginia

Anna Sudha Community Kitchens, a non-profit that runs a licensed kitchen and provides free meals to shelters, is organizing the Indian Independence Day festival in Loudoun County, VA. Among all upcoming Indian events in Virginia, the 78^th Indian Independence Day will be celebrated through interesting displays of India’s rich culture and heritage.  Reportedly, a spectacular show on the cultural festivals celebrated across India is also part of the event schedule.

Scheduled on 17 August (11am – 5;30pm ETD), the event programs include a Kuchipudi dance performance by Bharata Mallika, a Bharatanatyam dance drama by Tapasya School of Dance, and a Bollywood dance performance by Nehas Thumkas Dance Academy. The venue is Dulles Town Center, 21100 Dallas Town Circle, Virginia.

India Independence Day Festival, Florida

The Association of Indians in America’s Florida Chapter is gearing up for the India Independence Day Festival in Fort Lauderdale on August 18. One of the major events for Indian immigrants in Florida, the Independence Day Festival is a much-awaited occasion to bask in the glory of the home country, soak in the patriotic vibes, and pay a tribute to Mother India. Cultural programs, delicious Indian food, ethnic fashion, and patriotic music are the main draws of the event. Interested visitors can visit AIAFL.org for more information.

Venue: Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale 33312

Jai Ho! Indian Independence Day near Austin, TX

Jai Ho! India Independence Day in Round Rock near Austin is the biggest patriotic celebration in Texas, home to the second largest Indian-origin population in the US. With a free concert by Bollywood singer Shilpi Paul, Jai Ho! India Day promises a musical evening from 6pm to 9pm on 17 August 2024. Indians in and around Austin are enthusiastically looking forward to watching or participating in the state parade that will be followed by the musical evening. The state parade will commence with the national anthem of India and the US. Scheduled to take place at Centennial Plaza in Round Rock, this is one of the few free events among Indian Independence Day celebrations across the USA.

Brought to you by Indian Eagle Travel, the above listing of the Indian Independence Day celebrations in USA is neither sponsored by any of the event organizers, nor endorsed by us.

The post Soak in Patriotic Vibes at 10 Best Indian Independence Day Events across USA in August 2024 appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

A vast expanse of the United States, from the Midwest to the Northeast to the Southeast, is under the grip of Elliott, a fierce Arctic winter snowstorm. Temperature in some parts has plummeted to -40-degree F, whereas some parts are steeped into 2 to 4 feet of snow. The “dangerously” cold storm has brought life to a standstill, painting Christmas celebrations all white and causing disruption of flights, domestic and international. Nearly 5000 flights have been cancelled as of today.

We at Indian Eagle compiled details of the following airlines’ travel waiver which is subject to the airlines’ terms and conditions pertaining travel dates, origin cities, arrival cities and seat availability.

Delta Airlines’ travel waivers in the wake of Elliott snowstorm 

Delta flights to/from/through the Pacific Northwest airports including Seattle, Portland and Vancouver can be rescheduled by December 26 without any change fee and fare difference. Rebooked travel must be completed by DEC 26; otherwise, a fare difference may apply. If you postpone your travel into 2023, you can keep the Delta Airlines tickets open so that the unused value of the ticket can be utilized to buy a new one within one year from the date of the original ticket issuance.

Delta flights to/from/through the Atlantic and Northeast region can be rescheduled by December 27. If the rebooked travel begins after December 27, you may have to pay a fare difference. The airports in the Atlantic and Northeast region are Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Boston, NY Buffalo, Hartford, NY JFK, Newark Liberty, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Washington Dulles, and Portland.

United Airlines’ waiver for passengers affected by Elliott Storm

United Airlines has also come up with travel waiver for flight cancellations and delays caused by Elliott. The waiver is additional flexibility for the affected travelers to rethink their travel plans. Your travel with United Airlines originally booked on or before December 18 can be rebooked until December 28, 2022 without any change fee and a difference in fare.  

American Airlines’ waiver on rescheduling of affected flights 

Winter storm Elliott causing blizzard conditions resulted in the cancelation of American Airlines flights from, to, or through the Northeast US airports including New York JFK, LaGuardia, Newark EWR, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, NY Buffalo, Boston, Hartford, Rhode Island, Baltimore, NY Albany, and Washington Reagan. You’re eligible for American Airlines’ one-time change fee waiver in the wake of Elliott snowstorm, irrespective of your travel and fare class. Those who bought tickets before or by DEC 19 to travel by DEC 25 are eligible for the waiver if the origin and the destination remain the same. Fare difference won’t apply unless your originally booked travel cabin or travel sub-class is changed for rescheduled travel until DEC 30, 2022.

The same change fee waiver policy applies to American Airlines’ codeshare flights by JetBlue, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Finnair, and Qantas Airways. You are eligible for the waiver if your travel is affected by the Elliott-led cancelation of American Airlines flights to India from the Midwest airports, including Chicago ORD, St. Louis, Omaha, Milwaukee, Madison MSN, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Columbia, Des Moines, Springfield, and Champaign/Urbana.

All Nippon Airways’ travel date change fee waiver

All Nippon Airways announced travel rescheduling fee waiver for flights cancelled in the wake of Elliott snowstorm. The waiver code – 7JC0M – applies to ANA flight tickets issued on or before DEC 18, 2022. Change fees and fare differences will be waived for rescheduled travel between 22 and 28 December 2022 if the travel class, origin and destination remain unchanged. ANA flights from the Texas airports, including Houston, Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, McAllen, San Antonio, Victoria, Midland, Corpus Christi and El Paso, are affected by Elliott. ANA flights booked by travel agencies, to say IndianEagle.com, will be rescheduled only by the agencies.

The rescheduling of affected All Nippon Airways flights from the Midwest airports is also eligible for a one-time waiver on change fees. The Midwest airports are Chicago O’Hare, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Fort Wayne, Appleton, Indianapolis, St Louis, Omaha, Kansas City, Springfield, Mason, and Grand Rapids.

• Impacted travel dates: December 21 – 25, 2022
• Waiver code: 7JC04
• Eligible tickets issued on or before: 17 DEC 2022
• Travel to be rescheduled until 30 DEC 2022

Indian Eagle Travel

We are at work 24×7 to help our customers reschedule or cancel their travel to, from, or through the cities affected by Elliott winter snowstorm. We do appreciate your patience since we are experiencing high call volumes (1-800-615-3969). We are in contact with the airlines that we book flights with to and from the US. However, be advised to check your flight status (delayed or cancelled) on the operating airline’s website.

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Forbes’ 2022 List of 400 Richest Americans features only four Indian American billionaires: Jay Chaudhry, Vinod Khosla, Ramesh Wadhwani, and Rakesh Gangwal. Forbes featured as many as seven richest Indian Americans in 2020, out of which three have been dropped this year. The net worth of Jay Chaudhry, the richest of all Indian-origin billionaires in the US, rose to $12 billion in 2021 from US$ 3.4 billion in 2018. However, his net worth has plummeted to $8.3 billion due to the stock market slowdown. Rakesh Gangwal, an aviation heavyweight from Miami, is the fourth richest Indian American on the Forbes 2022 list; whereas he had ranked first of all Indian-origin American billionaires in 2018 and 2019.

The four richest Indian American billionaires on the 2022 Forbes 400 list have a collective wealth of US$ 22.9 billion. “After a roaring 2021, the 400 richest people in the U.S. have been hit by rising inflation and falling markets. As a group, this year’s Forbes 400 is $500 billion poorer than they were a year ago. Their total net worth stands at $4 trillion, down 11% from last year,” said Forbes’ Deputy Wealth Editor.

Jay Chaudhry, Vinod Khosla, Ramesh Wadhwani, Rakesh Gangwal (left to right)

Jay Chaudhry, Net Worth $8.3 Billion

With a net worth of $8.3 billion, Jay Chaudhry, the CEO of Zscaler, is the richest Indian American billionaire or the wealthiest American of Indian origin in USA. His journey from a small Himalayan village to Wall Street is an inspiring story of American Dreams. Born in Panoh, a remote village without running water in Himachal Pradesh, Jay Chaudhry is a leading cyber security business tycoon in San Francisco Bay Area. He co-founded Zscaler, a virtual security checkpost for companies exposed to cyber threats, in San Jose after a short stint in sales and marketing positions at MNCs like IBM. He is an alumnus of Harvard University and the University of Cincinnati. Unlike other billionaires, he says “My success so far has mainly been because I have very little attachment for money. I definitely do not feel like a billionaire even with a billion-dollar fortune.”

Vinod Khosla, Net Worth $5.3 Billion

With a rise in his fortunes, Vinod Khosla’s net worth has swelled to $5.3 billion from USD 2.3 billion in 2020. Sun Microsystems’ ex-cofounder Vinod Khosla is now the second richest of all Indian Americans, according to Forbes 2022. An alumnus of Mount St Mary’s School in New Delhi, he studied at IIT Delhi, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford Graduate School of Business. An article on the founding of Intel in print media piqued his interest in technology when he was a teenager. He established Khosla Ventures, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California and co-founded the Indus Entrepreneurs (NiE), a non-profit network of entrepreneurs.

Romesh T. Wadhwani, Net Worth $5.1 Billion  

Symphony Technology Group’s founder and CEO, Romesh T. Wadhwani from California has moved to the third rank (from the second rank in 2020) among the richest Indian-origin American billionaires on Forbes 2022, with his net worth having gone up to USD 5.1 billion to $3.4 billion in 2020. Romesh Wadhwani is not just one of the wealthiest Indian American entrepreneurs but a compassionate philanthropist too. His family shifted from Pakistan to India during the Partition in 1947. He is an alumnus of IIT Bombay in electrical engineering and holds a PhD degree from Carnegie Mellon University. The richest Gujarati in America, Romesh T. Wadhwani is a self-made serial entrepreneur. One of the top 10 Gujarati Indian billionaires in USA, he set up the Wadhwani Foundation with several initiatives including the National Entrepreneurship Network to drive socio-economic development in countries like India. In 2012, he opened a research center at the National Center for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru.

Also Check: Romesh Wadhwani Invests $26M to Save Businesses in COVID-hit India

Rakesh Gangwal, Net Worth $4 Billion

Miami-based Rakesh Gangwal, with a net worth of over $4 billion, is the fourth and last richest Indian American among all billionaires in the United States, according to Forbes 2022. A former co-founder of IndiGo, India’s largest low-cost airline, Rakesh Gangwal was the richest of 10 Indian-origin American billionaires in 2018. With a drastic dip in his fortunes due to the pandemic’s impact on aviation, Kolkata-born Rakesh Gangwal saw his net worth valued at $2.3 billion in 2020. An alumnus of IIM Lucknow in mechanical engineering, he studied MBA at Wharton School of Pennsylvania University and fulfilled his American Dreams when he became the Chairman of US Airways Group after a stint in strategic planning for United Airlines in 1984. The richest Indian American Rakesh Gangwal founded InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. in 2000 and co-founded IndiGo in 2006. Today, IndiGo is India’s biggest low-cost carrier in terms of domestic market share.

Three Indian Americans – Neeraj Shah, CEO of Wayfair; Aneel Bhusri, CEO of Workday Inc.; Kavitark Ram Shriram, a venture capitalist – have been dropped from Forbes’ 2022 list of 400 billionaires due to a decline in their net worth and fortunes. 

Niraj Shah, Net Worth $2.8 Billion

The newcomer on Forbes’ 2018 list of 400 billionaires, Niraj Shah is the third richest Indian-origin American with a net worth $2.8 billion on Forbes 2020. The CEO of Wayfair, an American e-commerce company dealing in home goods online, Niraj S. Shah is the youngest of the wealthiest Indian-origin billionaires in the United States. A Cornell University graduate and a resident of Boston, he co-founded Wayfair in 2002. Wayfair that employs more than 5200 people today generated net revenue of $9 billion in 2019 alone. He featured on the Fortune list of 40 under 40 in 2013 and was made a director of Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Aneel Bhusri, Net Worth $2.3 Billion 

One of the seven richest Indian American billionaires and entrepreneurs, Aneel Bhusri is the co-founder and CEO of Workday Inc. Born in Pittsford, New York, Aneel Bhusri does also serve on the board of directors at Intel. Among the richest Indian-origin entrepreneurs in America, he is a partner at Greylock which has funded global companies such as Facebook, Airbnb, Tumblr, and Groupon. An alumnus of Stanford University in MBA, he began his career as a corporate finance analyst at Morgan Stanley. His fortunes has swelled from USD 1.85 billion in 2018 to US$ 2.3 billion in 2020. He currently resides in San Francisco, California. 

Also Check: Aneel Bhusri Joins the Giving Pledge to Donate Half of His Wealth

Kavitark Ram Shriram, Net Worth $2.3 Billion 

With a net worth of $2.3 billion, Kavitark Ram Shriram stands fifth on the list of richest Indian Americans and is one of the well-known Indian-origin investors in California. Among the early investors in Google, Kavitark was born in Chennai and graduated in mathematics at Chennai’s Loyola College. He worked for Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon and the world’s richest billionaire, before making headlines for his investment worth $250,000 in Google. A board member of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Kavitark Ram Shriram founded Sherpalo, a venture capital firm for technology startups in 2000. He joined the league of Indian American philanthropists by donating a whopping $61 million to Stanford University.

The four Indian American billionaires below, who featured on Forbes’ 2018 and 2019 list of 10 richest Indian-origin entrepreneurs in USA, have been dropped from the 2020 Forbes list of 400 American billionaires.   

John Kapoor, Net Worth: $1.8 Billion

With a net worth of $1.8 billion, Amritsar-born John Kapoor is the fifth richest of Indian American billionaires in USA. A pharmaceutical entrepreneur in Phoenix, Arizona, John Kapoor founded Insys Therapeutics in 1990. Upon completion of his studies on pharmacy at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, John Nath Kapoor earned a PhD degree in medicinal chemistry from the University of Buffalo and found ground to make his ‘American Dreams’ come true there. Apart from owning restaurants in San Francisco and Chicago, he heads the John and Editha Kapoor Charitable Foundation for victims of breast cancer.  

Brian Sheth, Net worth $2.2 Billion 

With a net worth of $2.2 billion, Brian Sheth is the youngest Indian American billionaire on Forbes’ 2019 list of 400 richest Americans. Brian Nirajan Sheth is the co-founder and president of Vista Equity Partners in Austin, Texas. An alumnus of Pennsylvania University’s Wharton School, he is a wildlife enthusiast and conservationist too. Along with his wife, Brian Sheth chairs Global Wildlife Conservation in Austin, an international organization dedicated to wildlife and environment. Prior to plunging into entrepreneurship, Brian Sheth worked at Bain Capital, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell and Goldman Sachs.      

Jayshree Ullal, Net Worth: $1.43 Billion

The only woman of Indian origin from USA in the Forbes billionaire club, Jayshree Ullal is one of the richest, self-made business women in America. The President and CEO of Arista Networks, a computer networking firm, Jayshree Ullal featured on Forbes 2018 list of billionaires for her net worth $1.43 billion. Born in London and raised in Delhi, she traveled to the US at the age of 16 and graduated in electrical engineering from San Francisco State University. Featured in an article on Indian-origin women billionaires by Travel Beats, Jayshree Ullal got a big break in her career when Cisco Systems acquired Crescendo Communications and made her senior vice president of Data Center & Switching. A master’s in engineering management from Santa Clara University, she was the first woman to receive the Entrepreneurial and Leadership award in Silicon Valley in 1999. Currently, she resides in Saratoga, California.

Bharat Desai, Net Worth: $1.27 Billion 

Co-founder of Syntel, Bharat Desai slipped from the Forbes 2016 list of five richest Indian American billionaires to the tenth richest American billionaire of Indian origin in 2018. Born in Kenya and raised in Ahmedabad, Bharat Desai founded Syntel with $2000 and operated it from his apartment in Michigan initially. An IIT Bombay graduate in electrical engineering, he studied MBA in finance at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business. Currently a resident of Fisher Island in Florida, he serves on the board of several institutions including the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is one of the richest businessmen in the Gujarati American community.

Travel Beats is an Indian American community portal owned by Indian Eagle, a trusted travel booking partner of Indians in USA. Subscribe to our free newsletter and stay tuned to latest news & stories about Indian Americans, Indian events in USA, US visa & immigration news and US to India travel updates.

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Time, nature, humanity, divinity and spirituality are omnipresent forces of the universe. These five eternal phenomena neither obey barriers nor mind bounds. Rather they unify geographies and travel cosmic distances. Temple is one of the abodes of these indestructible forces on earth. It is true about Sri Maha Kaleshwar Temple, which has made Santa Clara a home for Indians in California away from home.

Sri Maha Kaleshwar Mandir in Santa Clara is the first Jyotirlingam Shiva Temple in the US. One of the best places to visit in California, the temple is consecrated to the fierce incarnation of Lord Shiva. The presiding deity of the temple is worshipped in form of a Shivalingam made of two ton solid granite. The Shivalingam with 1008 individual shivalingams engraved upon it is called Sahasralingam. It multiplies divine power of the deity by 1000 times.

Santa Clara’s Sri Maha Kaleshwar Temple has strong connection with India not only in religion but also in origin. The main temple of Lord Maha Kaleshwar is in Ujjain, a historical temple town in Madhya Pradesh. It houses one of the twelve Jyotirlingams in India. Unlike other manifestations of Lord Shiva, Sri Maha Kaleshwar faces south both in India and USA. South is the direction to death and doom, according to Hindu scriptures.

Time is an all-conquering, indestructible force with an eternal flow. All mortal beings and things in the world are obliged to defy the whims of Time. The overwhelming blows of Time are inevitable and inescapable. Being Maha Kaleshwar, Lord Shiva is the god of Time. Being the god of Time, only He can conquer suffering and death. So it is widely believed that prayers to Him at Sri Maha Kaleshwar temples are answered with divine blessings such as wisdom, peace, wellbeing and fortune to empower mortal beings against odd circumstances.

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Swami Sathasivom founded Sri Maha Kaleshwar Mandir in Santa Clara based on this eternal belief as its foundation. The temple was ceremoniously inaugurated in 2010. He is the elder son of Sambamurthy Sivachariar, an eminent Hindu priest and preceptor from Chennai. His father was the principal priest of Chennai’s Kalikambal Temple. Swami Sathasivom’s spiritual journey began when he was only 9 years old. He alone set out on a spiritual pilgrimage across India at the age of 12. He traveled to Kolkata to visit temples of Goddess Kali and to Varanasi.

He got in touch with many saints as well as monks during his lone voyage and delved deeper into realm of spirituality. He spreads his spiritual knowledge and divine experiences with whoever he comes across, irrespective of their caste, religion, gender and social status. He remains free from all sorts of materialism and bondages of everyday life by means of his spiritual tentacles with the universe and the Supreme.

In 1989, Swami Sathasivom intuitively felt the need of bringing 12 sacred Jyotirlingams to USA and consecrating temples in honor of Lord Shiva’s holy manifestations for the Indian American community. In 2010, he performed 1008 Chandi yagnas seeking divine blessings to accomplish the mission. It resulted in the arrival of Sri Maha Kaleshwar Jyotirlingam at La Honda in the Santa Cruz Mountains between the Pacific coast of California and the Santa Clara Valley.

Thus Santa Clara’s Sri Maha Kaleshwar Temple, the first of his envisioned twelve Jyotirlingam shrines, was established for Indians in America. Also read how California became home to Goddess Kali from India.

Two of the remaining eleven Jyotirlingam temples are to come up in Texas and Boston. The upcoming Lord Shiva temple in Boston will be consecrated to Sri Aumkareshwar Jyotirlingam.

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The sun has been shining bright for foreign students pursuing higher education at recognized US colleges and universities since the White House announced that US-educated foreign nationals would be given preference for H1B visa over foreigners with native education early in 2019. The new H1B visa rules, which came into effect in April 2019 with good prospects for foreign students studying advanced degrees in the United States, made the American sun shine brighter for them.

Bright opportunities for foreign students in the US seem to be enveloped by some dark clouds casting their shadow over the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, a pathway to H1B visa.

Four Republican Congressmen are seeking to end the Optional Practical Training, a federal government program in order to save Jobs for American students. OPT makes foreign graduates of US schools eligible to work in the US for up to three years. OPT for US-educated foreign students, is what H4 EAD for qualified spouses of H1B professionals. To be precise, the Optional Practical Training program is the first stepping stone for them towards realizing their American Dreams.

Picture Credit: The Indian Express

Republican Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs o Arizona; Mo Brooks of Alabama; and Matt Gaetz of Florida introduced the Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act (HR 4644) in the House of Representatives on July 22, as the first step to end the OPT for foreign students in the USA. The bill ‘HR 4644’ which currently sits with the House Judiciary Committee also opposes the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, which California’s Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren has sponsored in order to scrap the per-country limit on issuance of employment-based immigrant visas.

The bill was originally brought in the year 2019 by Republican Paul Gosar who was also planning to write to the then President Donald Trump and seek his executive order to eliminate the OPT for foreign graduates, including over 96,000 Indian students in USA. The Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act proposes an amendment to the Immigration and National Act to bar them from working under the Optional Practical Training program. The suggested amendment reads:

“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no alien present in the United States as a non-immigrant may be provided employment authorization in the United States pursuant to the Optional Practical Training Program, or any such successor program, without an express Act of Congress authorizing such a program.”

From 2004 to 2016, nearly 1.5 million foreign graduates of U.S. schools, including Indian students were granted permission to work under the OPT, according to the Pew Research Center in Washington DC. In 2008, the US government increased the period of time that foreign students in America could stay and work for, and thereby fuelled the popularity of the Optional Practical Training program by a whopping 400%.

San Jose and San Francisco are home to a majority of US-educated foreign graduates under the federal government program. In the past few years, foreign students going for the OPT program outnumbered H1B visa applicants, as per the Pew reports. However, enrollment for work permit under the OPT program registered a slow growth in 2017.

Though the number of foreign graduates who received work permit under the OPT program rose from 257,100 in 2016 to 276,500 in 2017, there was a slowdown in the growth of the program from 34% in 2016 to 8% in 2017.

Republican Paul Gosar’s Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act ignores the fact that international students on extended F1 visa under the Optional Practical Training for up to 3 years made a $39-billion contribution to the US economy and created 455,000 jobs in the academic year 2017-2018 alone, according to Niskanen Center think-tank in Washington DC. Every seven foreign students in the USA create and support three American jobs.

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The Biden-Harris administration is hell-bent on vaccinating the whole of America by July 4. Several US states and conglomerates have come forward to help accomplish the national mission by offering various incentives to people to get inoculated. Vaccination being the ultimate key to unlock the pandemic-hit economy is gaining momentum across the country by dint of contests, sweepstakes and freebies. The more people get immunized, the nearer life is to normalcy.

United Airlines that shares the vision of a virus-free America with the government has joined the bandwagon by launching a unique contest, “Your Shot to Fly,” for travelers to get a vaccine prior to flying abroad. Lucky winners of United Airlines’ ‘Your Shot to Fly’ sweepstake will be awarded a round-trip flight for two, in any travel class, to any destination in the airline’s global network. Indians in the US can give it a try to win free round-trip flights between USA and India.

United Airlines’ CEO Scott Kirby said, “We are proud to do our part to incentivize people to get their shot. Thanks to the vaccine, more and more destinations are opening up for travel – and we know our customers are eager to fly. We’re excited to give people one more reason to get vaccinated so they can reunite with friends and family or take that long-awaited vacation which all could be just one shot away.”

If you are a US resident and a member of United’s MileagePlus frequent flyer program, you can participate in the sweepstake contest. You must be 18 years old or above. MileagePlus is an award-winning loyalty program for passengers of United flights. If you are not yet a member of United’s MileagePlus, you can join the program before entering the sweepstake. All you need to do, once you have enrolled to the loyalty program, is to upload a copy of your vaccination card to your MileagePlus account through the airline’s website or mobile app. The window is open till June 2, 2021.

Should you buy United flight tickets to participate in the sweepstake? ‘You don’t need,” said Indian Eagle, a leading air-ticketing partner of Indians in America. Five grand winners of United’s Your Shot to Fly will be awarded a year of free flights in any travel class (of course, given availability of seats in your choice of travel class). You and one companion of yours will get up to 26 round trips on United Airlines flights to India and other destinations. Hold on! There is more in the offing for five grand winners; each will be given a cash prize worth $275,000. Five winners will be selected randomly on July 1, 2021.

If you stand a chance to win the grand prize, you must take free flights for up to 26 round trips between July 15, 2021, and July 14, 2022. One year of free round-trip airfare will be issued in the form of 26 travel certificates which are non-transferable and non-cashable. Also, United Airlines is giving away a round-trip flight for two, in any travel class, to 30 winners selected randomly through June 30. Each of the 30 winners will additionally receive a cash prize of $7700.

With the ‘Your Shot to Fly’ contest, United Airlines – a major carrier in the US-India air bubble corridor – is encouraging both vaccination and safe travel. The winners of United’s Your Shot to Fly can choose to travel to European countries including Italy, Spain, France, Greece and Portugal, as the airline is planning on resuming the suspended routes to Europe.

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As per the memorandum that US President Donald Trump signed in May 2019 to enforce a 23-year-old long-standing law as an overhaul to the existing immigration system, the US-based sponsors of immigrants will receive a bill to reimburse the government for the federal public benefits rendered to or availed by their sponsored relatives of foreign-origin. This week, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made a new move to hold sponsors responsible for providing financial support to foreign immigrants sponsored by them.

Even if a foreign national could manage to enter the United States at the cost of his social media privacy, he will become a financial liability to his sponsor.

The new move named “Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE)” is said to facilitate availability of information about sponsors to the federal agencies that are responsible for determining an alien’s eligibility for public benefits and rendering federal assistance to the eligible. The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) is an effort towards ensuring compliance with the laws related to the eligibility of sponsored foreign immigrants and the disbursement of federal benefits to them. The USCIS’ SAVE policy will also enable the agencies to establish the financial accountability of sponsors towards their sponsored aliens.

The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) is an outcome of Trump’s May 2019 memorandum that directs federal agencies to reshuffle legal immigration in the US by deterring US citizens and legal permanent residents from sponsoring their foreign relatives or extended family members residing in their native countries. Part of a greater force pushing the nation for an absolute merit-based immigration system, the move is being looked down upon as a crackdown on legal immigration in the United States by a few.

The provision that former President Bill Clinton signed into a law in 1996 has not been consistently applied due to lack of inadequate enforcement. The enforced legal liabilities and financial responsibilities that sponsorship comes with will apply to all current sponsors and sponsored aliens, according to Donald Trump’s memo.

Found in the sections – 212 (a)(4) and 213 – of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the law requires sponsors to sign an affidavit of support, Form I-864, a legally enforceable document to be responsible for sponsored individuals’ financial needs in the US. Form I-864 is a sponsor’s guarantee to the federal immigration officials that the immigrant sponsored by him will not depend on certain means-tested public welfare programs until the latter becomes a US citizen or is credited with 40 quarters (10 years) of work in the US.

The law, which is claimed to be not enforced consistently in the post-Clinton regime, does require a sponsor’s financial capacity to be considered as a key to check whether the sponsor can bear financial responsibility for the immigrant sponsored.

President Trump’s memorandum, signed on May 23 this year, is a mandate to create new procedures or update the existing ones by the end of 2019, so that federal agencies can enforce the law on US citizens or green card holders’ sponsorship liabilities and collect reimbursement from them for their sponsored immigrants’ use of the government’s public welfare programs including Medicaid.

The federal agencies working in such domains as health, homeland security, human services, nutrition and agriculture are directed to develop their own framework for “collection procedures”, so as to ensure strict enforcement of the sponsorship law, which has merely been there since 1996.

58% of immigrant households avail at least one federal welfare program, and about 50% of immigrant households have at least one member on Medicaid, according to a recent report released by the White House.

Critics are of the opinion that such moves are the bane of low-income immigrants, who do initially need the federal aid to get started in the US. In order to counter critics, President Trump said, “To protect benefits for American citizens, immigrants must be financially self-sufficient.”

In October 2018, the White House proposed new guidelines seeking to render immigrants, who are likely to become a “public charge” due to lack of self-sufficiency, ineligible for legal permanent residency in the United States. That foreign nationals who lack self-sufficiency are simply inadmissible to the US, has been a poorly defined law since the 1800s, according to the Trump administration.

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