As America gears up to get its 47th President on January 20, the arrival of Donald Trump is leaving Telugu techies in jitters.
So much so that many of those whose H-1B visas are close to expiration refused to chat with this correspondent on WhatsApp.
Rushing back
The US has roughly 12.4 lakh Telugu speakers, a big chunk of the population being students on F1 visa and tech employees on H-1B and other work visas. There is much anxiety in this camp about potential immigration policy changes.
Hundreds of techies on holiday in India have left for the US in a haste following advisories from their employers to return to the country before Trump assumes office on Monday.
Even students with the temporary work permit OPT (Optional Practical Training) have also been summoned back.
Also read | Trump 2.0 likely to bring short-term pain to Indian stock markets
Treading with caution
Arutla Mahesh (name changed), working with a multinational bank in Texas, refused to chat on WhatsApp and suggested making a phone call.
Hailing from Medak in Telangana, Mahesh has completed six years in the US and his H-1B will expire shortly. “Our WhatsApp chats are also under surveillance,” he said over a phone call.
According to Mahesh, the US security agencies scan the WhatsApp chats to gather work-related details of H-1B visa holders and students. He is worried because any policy change or any glitch in the renewal of his visa would be disastrous for his family.
Dependant spouse
Mahesh has purchased a house and his wife is an employee under the Employment Authorisation Document (EAD) work permit as his dependent spouse.
“Turmoil is quite evident among Indians, particularly among the Telugu youths who want to settle down in the US. While H-1B visa holders are grappling with this uncertainty, students have their own share of woes. Disappointing several students with the American dream, many companies have already cancelled their job offers,” he told The Federal.
Also read: Ahead of Trump’s inauguration, debate on H1B visas intensifies
P Vasanth, who completed his MS in computer science in the US three years ago, is a beneficiary of the OPT work permit. However, his one-year program is coming to an end in March.
Though Vasanth is eligible for another two years of OPT, he is worried about the extension amid the debate over the non-immigration visa regime. So is his family in Hyderabad, as he has a huge education loan to clear.
Green card application
Viren Reddy from Kadapa, who has been in the US for 10 years, has applied for an I-140 (Immigration Petition for Alien Workers). The application is pending with the authorities.
His wife has an H-4 work permit that allows dependant spouses to apply for jobs. Viren has his fingers crossed for a positive outcome amid the ongoing immigration debate.
“The denial of an I-140 petition leaves a serious impact on the family of an H-1B visa holder. It could ruin all your future plans. First, you cannot apply for permanent residency. Two, you have no option but to leave the US if, in the meantime, your H-1B visa expires. And, three, H-4 dependent spouses are legally restricted from working in the US if the I-140 petition is denied,” Viren told The Federal.
Also read: Days after backing H-1B visa, Musk says system ‘broken’, needs reforms
Glimmer of hope
But there are techies like Ponnuru Narendranath (name changed) who are hopeful that Trump’s election campaign aggression may not manifest itself in his presidency, as seen in his first term.
“This is Trump’s second and final term. He has advisors like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy who are stoutly defending the H-1B visa program. So, to please the advocates of MAGA (Make America Great Again, Trump’s campaign slogan), the new government may bring about certain reforms that would benefit the US and the genuinely technically competent people from the STEM stream,” Narendra, who landed in the US in 2012 with a computer science degree from JNTU Hyderabad, told The Federal.
He said the US needs merit and the H-1B visas are the best route to attract highly skilled workers.
Also read | H-1B visa confusion: Uncertainty cloud over IT sector
Large numbers
According to the Telugu Association of North America (TANA), between 60,000 and 70,000 students come to the US annually, along with nearly 10,000 H-1B visa holders.
“More than 80 per cent of the younger generation work in IT and finance sectors, thanks to the growth of technical institutes in the Telugu states over the years. As a result, Telugu has become the 11th most spoken foreign language in the United States,” TANA member Kanuri Ravindra Nath told The Federal.
A policy change would certainly affect the flow of Telugus to the US, he added.
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