Is the American Dream Over for the Indian Students?

The Trump Presidency has been a topic of hot discussion among the students worldwide. Do you think that the proposed bill has somehow shaken the dream of students to study in USA? Do you feel that the American dream is over for the students planning to study abroad?

On the contrary of the prejudice allied to the thought that the American dream is over for an Indian student, we have a different approach. The US has tremendous economic opportunities for people who are skilled in high-value fields. Zeal to learn and desire to grow can help the students to achieve their dream. By reading the whole bill, the students will understand that it is about welcoming skilled labours, who can make a significant contribution to the country.

According to the latest report released by Open Doors and Published by IIE (Institute of International Education), a jump of nearly 25% was seen in the number of students enrolling in the US Universities. The Indian and Chinese students nearly add up to 48% of Total International Students in the US.

The recent signing of the Executive order on April 18^th, 2017, by Mr. Trump has again made headlines and created uncertainty about going to the US for higher Education. Fundamentally, in the executive order issued, nothing has changed. H1B visas are here to stay and the Executive order is to curb the misuse against the H1B and not against the students going to the USA for Higher Education.

Before jumping into any conclusion it is vital to understand the facets of the bill and the issues around the H1B Visa. If the H1B Visa bill is passed the consequences that can turn out to be beneficial for the Indian students are:

• The minimum wage for H1B Visa to become $130K, is not applicable to all H1B applicants such as the large outsourcing Indian MNCs and IT Bodyshop consulting companies in the US, as they do not even fall under the H1B dependent employer.
• A student studying Master’s in the US will be benefited the most from this proposal as the Master’s degree will be mandatory for the H1B.  
• A student must understand that the H1B proposal is against the misuse of the visas and not against students studying abroad or planning to take up a job post education.
• A student with better qualifications, good salaries, and better skills will be benefited as their chances of getting the H1B visa will be more.

And most important the Bill has not been tabled yet. A Bill in the US goes through various stages before it becomes a law and it has not even been presented to the parliament for debate yet. Even if the bill becomes a law it will only benefit the students studying MS in the US as it will allocate H1B bill on a merit basis.

In fact, it might turn out to be a right time to enter the US to achieve the study abroad dream.