Troubles mount! One in six NRIs on H-1B visas really feel risk of US deportation; many pondering of returning to India: Ballot

H-1B visa hassle: A rising variety of Indian professionals within the US on H-1B visas are going through an surprising and alarming risk of deportation touchdown on their doorsteps earlier than the official 60-day grace interval even runs out. Laid off and staring down the barrel of a potential everlasting US ban, many say it looks like a ticking time bomb.In response to a ballot of 1,584 verified professionals carried out on the nameless office app Blind between August 6 and August 8, 2025, one in six (16%) mentioned they or somebody they know has obtained a Discover to Seem (NTA) inside the grace interval after being laid off.Below regular guidelines, H-1B employees have 60 days to discover a new employer or change visa standing after job loss. However since mid-2025, experiences have emerged of NTAs being issued inside as little as two weeks, labelling recipients “out of standing.”“A number of circumstances the place NTAs had been despatched in 2 weeks.” a Meta consumer wrote on Blind.“Immigration attorneys now advise leaving as quickly as potential after [the] job ends in any other case you threat a everlasting ban from the US,” the consumer added.This sudden escalation is forcing many to rethink long-term plans.Between July 28 and August 8, 2025, office neighborhood app Blind surveyed 2,089 verified Indian professionals within the US on work visas resembling H-1B and L1, revealing deep considerations about job safety and the way forward for US immigration.Within the survey of two,089 verified Indian professionals, 45% mentioned they might return to India if compelled to go away, 26% would transfer to a different nation, and 29% had been not sure.

What are NRIs greatest considerations about leaving US?

When requested about their greatest considerations over leaving the US, respondents cited a big pay minimize (25%), decrease high quality of life (24%), cultural or household adjustment (13%), and fewer job alternatives (10%). Apparently, 28% mentioned they might haven’t any considerations and could be open to leaving.On whether or not they would nonetheless go for a US work visa if given the prospect once more, solely 35% mentioned “sure.”Whereas 27% had been not sure and 38% mentioned “no,” pointing to a transparent shift in how Indian professionals view the long-term worth of immigrating to the US.

What’s driving this variation?

Actual experiences are driving this variation. Multiple in three respondents (35%) mentioned they or somebody near them had been compelled to go away the US after dropping a job whereas on a piece visa, usually underneath the looming risk of deportation in the course of the temporary grace interval.The findings recommend a rising openness to leaving the US, with many indicating they might return to India if it got here to that.

US President Donald Trump’s current name for US firms to “cease hiring in India” has sparked a pointy divide in opinion. Amongst US-based professionals, 63% felt the transfer may gain advantage their firms, whereas 69% of India-based respondents believed it might damage their corporations.When requested in the event that they or somebody near them had ever been compelled to go away the US after being laid off, 10% mentioned it occurred to them straight, 25% mentioned it occurred to somebody shut, and 65% mentioned no.The rising anxieties replicate a broader shift within the notion of the H-1B pathway, as soon as seen as a golden ticket to American alternatives, now more and more considered as a high-risk gamble.