Only a few months back, India was recognized as the leading source of international students in the United States. However, what value does this milestone hold when recent graduates are finding it difficult to land decent jobs?

A recent discussion on social media has caused confusion among OPT candidates. A recruiter disclosed that their company’s legal team has recommended not hiring individuals on OPT or TN visas due to immigration uncertainties.

In reply to the post, recruiters from various companies acknowledged that they had previously hired student candidates, but they are currently halting this practice.

Unexpectedly, H-1B transfers remain permissible; however, if you are on OPT, you’re not fortunate. The primary reason for this is that the H-1B lottery poses too much risk, and companies prefer to avoid that challenge in a constantly shifting political environment.

As the United States grows increasingly resistant to work visas, employing Indian graduates is now perceived as a disadvantage. Some believe that reducing the availability of OPT and H-1B visas contributes to maintaining higher salaries for Americans.

This could undermine the career aspirations of more than 300,000 Indian students in the U.S. Without employment, they won’t be able to obtain H-1B visas, which would compel them to leave the country immediately after completing their degrees.