Concerns are growing in the United States over an uptick in hostility directed at Indian professionals and Indian-owned businesses, following recent changes to the country’s skilled-worker visa framework. Analysts say the sentiment has sharpened since policy revisions rolled out in September under the Trump administration, which reshaped key aspects of the H-1B visa program.
The changes have reignited debate around immigration, labor markets, and foreign talent, with Indian workers and entrepreneurs finding themselves at the center of the discussion, experts noted in comments to U.S. and international media.
Under the revised framework, the cost of applying has risen dramatically, with fees now set at $100,000, while a new wage-based selection system favors higher-paying positions. The administration has justified the changes as a move to protect American workers, arguing that the overhaul is meant to curb misuse of the program and ensure jobs go first to U.S. talent.
Starting in February, the rules are set to become even stricter. U.S. authorities plan to give priority to the highest-paid applicants, known as Level-IV H-1B candidates, making it increasingly difficult for many skilled workers to qualify.
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The tightening of the program has also sparked backlash online. Major American companies such as FedEx, Walmart, and Verizon have faced waves of social media harassment, with users accusing them of improperly funneling jobs to Indian workers.
Raqib Naik, executive director of the Center for the Study of Organised Hate, says some of the online attacks seem to be part of organised campaigns. He noted that Indian American business owners who secured loans through the government-backed Small Business Administration have been targeted with coordinated harassment.
Naik also cautioned that discrimination against Indians is on the rise, with the community increasingly cast as “job stealers and visa scammers.”
Analysis from advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate and counterterrorism firm Moonshot found that threats of violence against South Asian communities rose 12 percent in November last year, while online slurs targeting South Asians jumped 69 percent during the same period.
Experts say the spike in hostility has coincided with a growing influx of Indian professionals to the United States. American companies have increasingly hired software developers, engineers, doctors, and researchers from India to fill critical gaps where domestic talent is in short supply. Tensions flared further in the lead-up to Christmas after a widely shared video showed a damaged FedEx truck, sparking a wave of comments aimed at FedEx’s Indian-origin CEO, Raj Subramaniam.
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One viral post read, “Stop the f****** Indian takeover of our great American companies.” Several right-wing commentators, including Andrew Torba, founder of social media platform Gab, accused Subramaniam of laying off White American employees in favor of Indian workers.
FedEx strongly denied the allegations, emphasizing that its hiring decisions are based on merit rather than nationality, as per NDTV World. “For more than 50 years, FedEx has fostered a merit-based culture that creates opportunity for everyone,” the company said. “We take great pride that this has resulted in a workforce that represents the diversity of the more than 220 countries and territories we serve.”
The backlash comes amid a wider shift in corporate America. Over the past year, many companies have scaled back or paused diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives after conservative critics claimed these programs put white Americans at a disadvantage.
Analysts say this retreat, coupled with stricter immigration rules and heated political rhetoric around jobs, has created an environment where Indian professionals and businesses are more frequently targeted and scrutinized.