H-1B visa rule changes spark backlash against Indian professionals in the US, with online hate, threats, and harassment rising sharply.
Under the revised framework, the US government sharply increased the H-1B application fee to $100,000 and replaced the lottery system with a wage-based selection model. (File Photo)
Indian professionals and Indian-owned businesses in the United States are facing a growing wave of hostility following major changes to the country’s skilled-worker visa system. A report by Financial Times, Experts say recent revisions to the H-1B visa programme have intensified online hate, workplace suspicion, and targeted harassment, especially against Indian Americans working in technology, healthcare, and corporate leadership roles.
The rise in hostility follows policy changes introduced by the Trump administration in September, which reshaped how skilled migrants qualify for US work visas.
Under the revised framework, the US government sharply increased the H-1B application fee to $100,000 and replaced the lottery system with a wage-based selection model. The new process prioritises higher-paid applicants, effectively favouring senior-level roles over entry-level professionals.
The administration defended the changes as necessary to “protect American workers.”
From February, the rules will tighten further. Authorities plan to prioritise Level-IV H-1B applicants, the highest wage category, making it significantly harder for many skilled migrants to qualify.
Indian nationals form one of the largest groups of H-1B visa holders in the US. As American companies continue to recruit Indian software engineers, doctors, researchers, and data specialists, critics on social media have blamed Indian workers for job losses and wage pressure.
Several major US companies, including FedEx, Walmart, and Verizon, became targets of online abuse. Social media users accused these firms of illegally selling jobs to Indian workers—claims that companies have strongly denied.
According to Raqib Naik, executive director of the Center for the Study of Organised Hate, some attacks show signs of coordination. He said Indian American entrepreneurs who secured loans from the government-backed Small Business Administration have faced targeted harassment campaigns.
Naik warned that discrimination has worsened, with Indians increasingly portrayed as “job stealers and visa scammers.”
New analysis highlights the scale of the problem. Advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate, working with counterterrorism firm Moonshot, found that threats of violence against South Asian communities rose by 12 per cent in November last year. During the same period, online slurs targeting South Asians surged by 69%.
Experts say online rhetoric often spills into real-world harassment, creating fear among professionals and business owners.
Tensions escalated ahead of Christmas after a video showing a damaged FedEx truck went viral. The footage sparked a flood of abusive posts aimed at FedEx’s Indian-origin CEO, Raj Subramaniam.
One widely shared comment read, "Stop the f**** Indian takeover of our great American companies."**
Several right-wing commentators, including Andrew Torba, founder of the platform Gab, accused Subramaniam of firing White American workers and replacing them with Indian employees.
FedEx rejected the allegations. The company said, "For more than 50 years, FedEx has fostered a merit-based culture that creates opportunity for everyone." It added that hiring decisions depend on performance and business needs, not nationality.
The backlash comes as many US companies scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes. Critics of DEI argue such initiatives disadvantage White Americans, while observers say their rollback has emboldened hostile rhetoric against minorities.
Analysts believe tighter immigration rules, job insecurity, and political messaging have combined to create an environment where Indian professionals increasingly face blame and abuse.
