“What we see on Blind is that about 31% of laid-off tech workers in the U.S. leave the country because of their visa. H-1B holders, many of whom are Indian, have only a short time to find a new job, and that window may soon disappear. That’s why we see many of them looking for ways to buy time, such as switching to B-2. If they still can’t find a job, they have to go home or move to another country where they can work.” — Sunguk Moon, co- founder and the chief executive of Blind
For years, Indian Americans and Indian nationals on work visas have consistently ranked among the top foreign buyers of U.S. residential real estate. They have also paid among the highest median prices of any foreign buyer nationally, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). But the real estate boom that swept across many U.S. metropolitan areas appears to be losing momentum.
The NAR’s 2026 International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate report found that international buyers purchased $45.3 billion worth of existing U.S. homes from April 2025 through March 2026. That represented a 19.1% decrease in the dollar value of homes purchased and a 14% decline in the number of properties compared with the previous 12-month period.
A growing number of real estate experts believe changes to H-1B fees and immigration policies could be affecting foreign investment, particularly among Indian buyers. Some of the effects are already showing up in local housing data.
Redfin data shows that home prices in Collin County, Texas, which has seen significant growth in its work-visa immigrant population, fell nearly 9% year over year as of February.
READ: ‘Do not interview people on work visas’: H-1B workers raise hiring concerns on Reddit (September 29, 2026)
Real estate professionals have traditionally viewed Indian buyers on visas as among the more stable foreign investors. Many purchases were not made solely for investment but as part of plans to settle in the United States. Homeownership among Indian buyers on visas often reflects considerations such as better schools, safer neighborhoods and better amenities.
Indian clients have also been considered high-net-worth buyers in real estate circles because many qualify for conventional mortgages based on their W-2 income.
But the market driven by high-income working professionals may now be facing new pressures as immigration uncertainty grows. Statistics show declining foreign-buyer activity, while immigration experts say some workers are increasingly focused on staying afloat rather than putting down roots.
Data shared exclusively with The American Bazaar appears to offer another indication of this shift, showing that an increasing number of Indian work-visa holders are focused on short-term stability rather than planning for long-term futures in the United States.
An analysis of more than 240,000 searches containing the term “H-1B” on the anonymous professional networking platform Blind found a sharp shift in priorities among visa holders between 2024 and 2026. Searches related to maintaining legal status, extending time in the United States and navigating layoffs surged, while discussions about homeownership, retirement planning and other long-term financial goals fell dramatically.
The findings come amid mounting uncertainty for foreign workers. On Aug. 6, a Department of Homeland Security proposal that would end the current 60-day grace period for laid-off H-1B workers was sent to the White House for review. A month later, Vice President JD Vance reiterated his criticism of the program, saying that “H-1B should not exist to replace U.S. workers.”
Against that backdrop, Blind’s data shows H-1B workers increasingly searching for ways to “buy time” rather than build permanence.
Searches related to switching from H-1B status to a B-2 visitor visa reached their highest levels since Blind began tracking the data, hitting 8.3 mentions per 1,000 H-1B-related searches during July and August 2026. At the same time, searches related to the H-1B grace period climbed to 36.1 per 1,000 searches — more than three times the previous peak.
While a B-2 visa does not permit employment, immigration attorneys have long noted that some laid-off workers use the category as a temporary bridge while seeking a new H-1B sponsor. Blind found searches such as “h1b to b2 to h1b” and “b2 pending h1b” increasingly common, suggesting workers were looking for ways to remain in legal status while searching for new employment.
Layoff-related H-1B searches rose 63% year over year in Q1 2026 and 66% in Q2 2026, reaching the highest level recorded during the research period. Searches about the job market, hiring and visa sponsors more than doubled, with a 124% rise in Q1 2026.
Sunguk Moon, co-founder and CEO of Blind, said:
“Perhaps the most striking trend was the collapse in searches associated with long-term financial planning. If you look at the big picture, Indian professionals if get laid off by a U.S. company, many go back to India, and get hired again for a similar role at a lower cost. In our June survey, 53% of India-based professionals said they have seen workers return from the U.S. or know people planning to. One Google employee on Blind said the pay could be about one-fifth of what they made in the U.S.
“AI adds another layer. Right now, U.S. roles are being moved to India. But as AI lets one person do much more, companies need fewer people for the same work. That means even the roles people were rehired into in India could be at risk. How much AI is used differs by company, but when models close to AGI are used more in real work, the impact will be bigger.”
READ: H-1B American dream comes with a $400K price tag, says Indian American influencer (September 23, 2026)
According to Blind, searches involving Roth IRAs, 401(k) plans, home purchases and side-income opportunities fell from 13.5 mentions per 1,000 H-1B searches in the second quarter of 2025 to just 2.5 by the fourth quarter of that year. The decline continued through 2026, reaching the lowest level recorded during the study period.
“The data suggests a shift from planning for life in the United States to planning for legal survival in the United States,” the analysis noted.
The concerns extend beyond immigration status. Layoff-related searches became the dominant topic among H-1B workers on the platform, reaching their highest levels during the research period. Searches tied to performance improvement plans (PIPs), WARN notices, hiring and visa sponsorship opportunities also increased significantly.
At the same time, workers appear to be recalibrating where they see opportunities. Searches associated with Amazon and Meta declined sharply, while interest in AI-focused employers surged. Nvidia-related searches rose nearly eightfold between 2025 and 2026, reflecting growing attention toward companies perceived to be expanding hiring amid the artificial intelligence boom.
The study also captured growing anxiety around international travel and visa renewals. After restrictions were placed on the “dropbox” interview-waiver program in late 2025, searches mentioning visa appointments, rescheduling and being “stuck” abroad jumped sharply. Searches referencing India reached record levels, indicating heightened concern among workers traveling overseas and facing uncertainty about returning to the United States.
Blind, which says it has more than 14 million verified professionals globally, described the findings as evidence of a changing mindset among highly skilled foreign workers. The platform noted that layoffs have overtaken the H-1B lottery as the dominant concern, while conversations increasingly center on preserving legal status rather than pursuing long-term goals.
Taken together, the data paints a picture of a workforce that once searched for ways to build roots in America but is now increasingly focused on maintaining a foothold.