Trump’s crackdown on H-1B visas could prevent the next US unicorn born of Indian immigrants

February 5, 2017

H-1B work visas, which allow foreigners to work in the United States for up to six years, are under attack—and it’s sending Indian tech firms into a tailspin.

A US bill first introduced in 2007, which would more than double the minimum wage for H-1B visa positions (to $130,000 from $60,000) has been reintroduced in Congress, and a leaked draft of an executive order suggested the possibility of overhauling all American work-visa programs. While that type of revamp would have a broad global impact, it strikes a particular chord in India: North America is the biggest export market for the country’s $150-billion IT industry. Immigration reforms like those being outlined or alluded to by the Donald Trump administration will not only curb that dynamic but could ultimately stifle future billion-dollar ideas.