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Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Will your social media meme get you denied a US visa? Here is what every Indian student must know
Indian students review their online presence before a visa interview. A quiet tension hangs in the air, mixed with hope. (AI Image) The US State Department has resumed processing student visas for foreign nationals, including thousands of Indian students eager to pursue higher education in the US. This follows a temporary suspension in May, which left many applicants in limbo as the academic year approached. However, a new policy has introduced a significant hurdle: All visa applicants must now provide full access to their social media accounts for review. This expanded vetting process, aimed at identifying "hostility" towards the US, its culture, government, or institutions, has sparked concerns among Indian students, who form the largest group of international students in the US Why social media scrutiny? The US State Department's new directive mandates that consular officers thoroughly examine applicants' social media profiles, which must be set to "public" for review. Posts or interactions deemed anti-American or supportive of terrorism or antisemitism could lead to visa denial. Refusal to grant access may be interpreted as an attempt to conceal online activity, further jeopardising approval chances. Impact on Indian students Indian students, contributing over $40 billion annually to the US economy, face unique challenges under this policy. Many have expressed anxiety about their online presence, fearing that even humorous memes or political comments could be misconstrued. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like What She Did Mid-Air Left Passengers Speechless medalmerit Learn More Undo For instance, a light-hearted post critiquing US culture might be flagged as hostile, despite being innocuous. The vague guidelines leave room for subjective interpretation, raising concerns about fairness. How to prepare your online presence To navigate this, students are advised to audit their social media accounts well in advance. They should delete inactive profiles and ensure active ones reflect neutral or professional content. "I don't think any American would want to be judged by their worst tweet," said Stuart Anderson of the National Foundation for American Policy, as quoted by the Washington Post, highlighting the risk of broad interpretations. Compiling a list of current handles for the DS-160 visa application form is crucial, as incomplete disclosures could signal evasiveness. Broader implications and criticisms Critics, including Jameel Jaffer of the Knight First Amendment Institute, argue that this policy chills free speech, evoking Cold War-era ideological vetting. "This policy makes a censor of every consular officer, and it will inevitably chill legitimate political speech both inside and outside the United States," Jaffer said, as reported by the Associated Press. The requirement, rooted in Executive Order 14188, targets issues like antisemitism but risks stifling legitimate political expression. Indian students, already navigating delays and a new US travel ban affecting six countries, must now tread carefully online to secure their academic dreams. With visa interviews resuming, proactive preparation is key. Indian students should monitor official US embassy updates and maintain a professional digital footprint to avoid visa complications. Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump's immigration restrictions are pushing Corporate America into remote work faster
It is a fascinating and contradictory scenario: a president championing a full-scale return to the traditional office while simultaneously enacting policies that restrict new immigrants and deport existing ones. This apparent contradiction — a drive for centralized workplaces alongside a potential restriction on talent flow — might not yield the expected results. Instead, these combined pressures could dramatically accelerate the adoption of remote work, fundamentally reshaping our understanding of where and how vital work gets done. This isn't mere speculation — it's a trend with precedent. Harvard's Prithwiraj Choudhury documented how losing H-1B peers after 2017 denials reshaped team performance and nudged firms toward fully distributed structures. His broader research in his new book, 'The World Is Your Office: How Work from Anywhere Boosts Talent, Productivity, and Innovation,' showed that even during the Biden administration, existing immigration restrictions prompted companies to more readily embrace remote work. Moreover, he also shows that work-from-anywhere boosts productivity and widens talent pools, making geographic flexibility a durable competitive edge. At the heart of every dynamic economy lies its talent pool — the skilled individuals who drive innovation, solve complex problems and fuel growth. Companies are in a perpetual quest for this expertise. When national policies create significant hurdles to recruiting talent from abroad, businesses do not simply resign themselves to a diminished workforce. They innovate their hiring strategies. An anti-immigration stance, therefore, becomes an unintended catalyst, pushing companies to aggressively explore and expand remote work as a primary means to access the global reservoir of skills. This strategic pivot allows them to transcend geographical limitations and tap into a broader spectrum of expertise, a necessity when local talent pools are strained. Take the technology sector, for example, an industry renowned for its reliance on a global workforce to maintain its cutting edge. Immigrants have long been pivotal to American innovation; a 2023 report from the National Foundation for American Policy highlighted that immigrants founded over half of America's billion-dollar startup companies. If new immigration restrictions were to make it substantially harder to bring these vital minds to the U.S., tech companies would face an intensified scramble for essential skills. Faced with a potential constriction of the domestic talent pipeline for highly specialized roles, these firms will inevitably look outward — not by navigating complex visa processes for every hire, but by seamlessly integrating talent virtually. The imperative to innovate and lead will compel businesses to strengthen their remote infrastructures, turning a talent challenge into a distributed work opportunity. Consider how former President Biden inherited Donald Trump's June 2020 visa freeze and let it run until March 31 2021, extending a ban on issuing new H-1B, H-2B, J-1 and L-1 visas and leaving thousands of recruits abroad. Human-resources teams refused to lose that brainpower. Envoy Global's 2023 Immigration Trends survey reports that '81 percent of U.S. employers transferred foreign employees to offices overseas because visa barriers blocked on-shore options' and '86 percent outsourced roles originally meant for American desks for the same reason.' When one engineer keeps writing clean code from São Paulo, suddenly the whole team asks why relocation ever mattered. Other data confirm the shift. Revelio Labs analyzed millions of LinkedIn profiles and payroll records and found that 'highly remote-suitable roles have grown 42 percent faster outside the United States than inside it since 2019.' Software engineering, data analysis and legal research now migrate through cables rather than airports. Employers tap deeper candidate pools, pay lower salaries, and still gain round-the-clock productivity as teams baton-pass work across hemispheres. Rising immigration costs push the flywheel harder. Envoy's recent survey shows that '58 percent of companies plan to hire, transfer, or relocate foreign talent abroad this year' to dodge climbing filing fees and processing delays. Finance chiefs cheer because employer-of-record subscriptions undercut relocation stipends, while human resources heads welcome a talent pool unbound by ZIP codes. Employees benefit, too — remote veterans keep family roots, skip uprooted spouses, and pocket metropolitan housing savings. Cost arithmetic, cultural continuity and innovation gains reinforce one another. A dispersed marketing squad can test Spanish-language campaigns overnight in Bogotá, roll out Mandarin versions at dawn from Taipei, and ship a polished English release before New York's lunch. What began as a compliance workaround has become a competitive edge. Consulting firm INS-Global already advises multinationals to 'capitalize on sustained interest in remote work in the U.S.,' precisely because the federal sector is heading back into the cubicles. History rhymes: restricting visas without expanding domestic talent supply drives companies to distribute work virtually. Investors grasp the leverage. Each thousand dollars denied to moving costs drops straight to the bottom line. Client win-rates jump because geographically diverse teams localize products faster. Lobbyists still fight for higher visa quotas, yet chief financial officers quietly model scenarios around a fully remote future. The harder Washington squeezes physical entry, the wider corporate America swings open its digital door. Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, serves as the CEO of the hybrid work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts and authored the best-seller'Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Trump's immigration restrictions are pushing Corporate America into remote work faster
It is a fascinating and contradictory scenario: a president championing a full-scale return to the traditional office while simultaneously enacting policies that restrict new immigrants and deport existing ones. This apparent contradiction — a drive for centralized workplaces alongside a potential restriction on talent flow — might not yield the expected results. Instead, these combined pressures could dramatically accelerate the adoption of remote work, fundamentally reshaping our understanding of where and how vital work gets done. This isn't mere speculation — it's a trend with precedent. Harvard's Prithwiraj Choudhury documented how losing H-1B peers after 2017 denials reshaped team performance and nudged firms toward fully distributed structures. His broader research in his new book, 'The World Is Your Office: How Work from Anywhere Boosts Talent, Productivity, and Innovation,' showed that even during the Biden administration, existing immigration restrictions prompted companies to more readily embrace remote work. Moreover, he also shows that work-from-anywhere boosts productivity and widens talent pools, making geographic flexibility a durable competitive edge. At the heart of every dynamic economy lies its talent pool — the skilled individuals who drive innovation, solve complex problems and fuel growth. Companies are in a perpetual quest for this expertise. When national policies create significant hurdles to recruiting talent from abroad, businesses do not simply resign themselves to a diminished workforce. They innovate their hiring strategies. An anti-immigration stance, therefore, becomes an unintended catalyst, pushing companies to aggressively explore and expand remote work as a primary means to access the global reservoir of skills. This strategic pivot allows them to transcend geographical limitations and tap into a broader spectrum of expertise, a necessity when local talent pools are strained. Take the technology sector, for example, an industry renowned for its reliance on a global workforce to maintain its cutting edge. Immigrants have long been pivotal to American innovation; a 2023 report from the National Foundation for American Policy highlighted that immigrants founded over half of America's billion-dollar startup companies. If new immigration restrictions were to make it substantially harder to bring these vital minds to the U.S., tech companies would face an intensified scramble for essential skills. Faced with a potential constriction of the domestic talent pipeline for highly specialized roles, these firms will inevitably look outward — not by navigating complex visa processes for every hire, but by seamlessly integrating talent virtually. The imperative to innovate and lead will compel businesses to strengthen their remote infrastructures, turning a talent challenge into a distributed work opportunity. Consider how former President Biden inherited Donald Trump's June 2020 visa freeze and let it run until March 31 2021, extending a ban on issuing new H-1B, H-2B, J-1 and L-1 visas and leaving thousands of recruits abroad. Human-resources teams refused to lose that brainpower. Envoy Global's 2023 Immigration Trends survey reports that '81 percent of U.S. employers transferred foreign employees to offices overseas because visa barriers blocked on-shore options' and '86 percent outsourced roles originally meant for American desks for the same reason.' When one engineer keeps writing clean code from São Paulo, suddenly the whole team asks why relocation ever mattered. Other data confirm the shift. Revelio Labs analyzed millions of LinkedIn profiles and payroll records and found that 'highly remote-suitable roles have grown 42 percent faster outside the United States than inside it since 2019.' Software engineering, data analysis and legal research now migrate through cables rather than airports. Employers tap deeper candidate pools, pay lower salaries, and still gain round-the-clock productivity as teams baton-pass work across hemispheres. Rising immigration costs push the flywheel harder. Envoy's recent survey shows that '58 percent of companies plan to hire, transfer, or relocate foreign talent abroad this year' to dodge climbing filing fees and processing delays. Finance chiefs cheer because employer-of-record subscriptions undercut relocation stipends, while human resources heads welcome a talent pool unbound by ZIP codes. Employees benefit, too — remote veterans keep family roots, skip uprooted spouses, and pocket metropolitan housing savings. Cost arithmetic, cultural continuity and innovation gains reinforce one another. A dispersed marketing squad can test Spanish-language campaigns overnight in Bogotá, roll out Mandarin versions at dawn from Taipei, and ship a polished English release before New York's lunch. What began as a compliance workaround has become a competitive edge. Consulting firm INS-Global already advises multinationals to 'capitalize on sustained interest in remote work in the U.S.,' precisely because the federal sector is heading back into the cubicles. History rhymes: restricting visas without expanding domestic talent supply drives companies to distribute work virtually. Investors grasp the leverage. Each thousand dollars denied to moving costs drops straight to the bottom line. Client win-rates jump because geographically diverse teams localize products faster. Lobbyists still fight for higher visa quotas, yet chief financial officers quietly model scenarios around a fully remote future. The harder Washington squeezes physical entry, the wider corporate America swings open its digital door. Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, serves as the CEO of the hybrid work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts and authored the best-seller'Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams.'
Newsroom
05-06-2025
- Science
- Newsroom
NZ can benefit from US university turmoil
Comment: The United States has the world's best universities. At least for now. Those universities have, in turn, attracted the world's best researchers. According to the National Foundation for American Policy, immigrants earned 45 of the 112 Nobel prizes awarded to Americans in chemistry, medicine and physics from 2000 to 2023.
Forbes
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Trump Restricts Legal Immigration, Blocks Student Visas For Harvard
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a proclamation in the Oval Office at the ... More White House on April 17, 2025. In two new presidential proclamations, Donald Trump restricted legal immigration to the United States and blocked visas for international students who want to attend Harvard University. (Photo by) In two new presidential proclamations, Donald Trump restricted legal immigration to the United States and blocked visas for international students who want to attend Harvard University. The proclamation bans immigration to the United States, with some exceptions, from 19 countries. Lawful permanent residents sponsoring family members will be most affected. The measure will reduce legal immigrant admissions and lower the number of visas issued for tourists, students and exchange visitors from the identified countries. The action against Harvard represents another blow to the university and international students seeking to enroll at the school. On June 4, 2025, Donald Trump issued a proclamation banning immigrant and temporary visas from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The proclamation also bans immigrant visas and visas for tourists and business travelers, students and exchange visitors for an additional seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The proclamation contains an exception for the spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens, known as immediate relatives, which limits the personal impact for many Americans. Among the other exemptions are for adoptions, Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans, visas for most athletes and 'immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.' These exceptions will not help most people who previously could have entered the country on temporary visas from the 19 countries or through other immigration categories. While the Trump administration framed the proclamation as necessary for national security, it did not offer evidence that the travel ban enacted in Donald Trump's first term enhanced security or that the Biden administration removing the travel ban diminished America's security. Analysts noted the proclamation suspending refugee admissions was also framed as a security measure, even though refugees are the most vetted and screened individuals to enter the United States. According to a National Foundation for American Policy analysis, the proclamation will likely block approximately 25,000 legal immigrants a year from the 19 countries. Family-sponsored immigrants will be the most affected by the proclamation, with the burden falling primarily on lawful permanent residents in the United States who sponsor close family members, particularly from Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Yemen. A lawful permanent resident can sponsor a spouse, minor child or an unmarried adult child. Employment-based immigrants from the 19 countries unable to adjust status inside the United States will also be prevented from immigrating. Individuals from the 19 countries will not be allowed to immigrate via the Diversity Visa lottery. Based on FY 2023 data, approximately 100,000 fewer B1/B2 visas for tourism or business, 10,000 F-1 student visas and 2,400 J-1 visas for nationals of the 19 countries will be issued annually due to the proclamation, according to an NFAP analysis. The administration sought to justify the bans on student and other visas by citing figures from the DHS annual overstay report. However, analysts note the DHS reports do not accurately measure overstays. 'The DHS figures represent actual overstays plus arrivals whose departure could not be verified,' according to demographer Robert Warren. In other words, the report includes many unrecorded departures that may not be actual overstays. DHS has problems with its systems correctly identifying individuals who changed status inside the U.S. or left the country, which renders its reports inappropriate for policy purposes. That is particularly the case with students, and it's a long-standing problem. The 'suspected in-country overstay' rate for student and exchange visitors in FY 2018 dropped by 60% over the course of a year, from 2.11% to 0.84% 12 months later, according to DHS, as the agency's systems caught up. The problem is most evident when a student obtains a different immigration status, such as a green card, and the student is withdrawn from the SEVIS system. In March 2025, when DHS arrested a pro-Palestinian protest leader, Mahmoud Khalil, agents thought he was on a student visa even though Khalil was married to a U.S. citizen and had been a lawful permanent resident for months. The proclamation selectively cites overstay data. It omits Venezuela's low overstay rate of 2.7% for F-1 student and exchange visitor visas. Iran's low rate for F-1 student and exchange visitor visas is also not listed in the proclamation. The proclamation criticizes Haiti, Venezuela and Afghanistan for lacking a reliable or functioning government even though the Trump administration terminated Temporary Protected Status for the three countries and claimed it is safe for Haitians, Venezuelans and Afghans to return. A view of the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ... More Images) In a separate, unprecedented proclamation issued on June 4, 2025, Donald Trump banned foreign nationals from coming to the United States to attend Harvard University. Presidential authority on immigration has never before been wielded in this way against a single educational institution. 'The entry of any alien into the United States as a nonimmigrant to pursue a course of study at Harvard University . . . [with an F or M visa] or to participate in a [J-1] exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University is suspended,' according to the proclamation. The proclamation, which lasts six months, though it could be extended, 'shall apply to aliens who enter or attempt to enter the United States to begin attending Harvard University through the SEVP [Student and Exchange Visitor Program] after the date of this proclamation.' The Trump administration has engaged in a months-long battle with Harvard after the university refused demands for the federal government to take over the school's hiring, admissions and governance policies. In retaliation, the Department of Homeland Security removed Harvard's ability to enroll international students through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration and will need to decide the legality of attempting to accomplish the same goal via a presidential proclamation. 'They first tried to suspend SEVP and that failed, so now they are using an unsubstantiated threat to national security to halt the issuance of visas,' said Jonathan Grode of Green & Spiegel. 'So, it is like, if we cannot stop you from issuing I-20s to students, then we will stop the State Department from issuing them visas.' Attorneys and educators expect the latest administration move to have a further chilling effect on international students seeking to attend U.S. universities. Although the latest salvo against Harvard may have multiple objectives, the travel ban proclamation has one primary goal. The Trump administration wants to admit fewer immigrants and temporary visa holders to the United States from the 19 countries listed in the proclamation.
