Beginning of ‘Trump’ Era: How US Elections Outcome will Impact Indian Students

The outcome of US Presidential Election has left the world stunned with Republican Party Candidate Donald Trump emerging as the new President of the United States of America. Is it the beginning of a new era – not very favorable for Indians – that will change the economic and academic trajectory of India? Or is it the time to start bracing ourselves for a new relationship – not certainly beneficial – with the world super? We are about to find out!

Ever since the beginning of the US Presidential Election Campaigns, Trump has fiercely pitched for some of the most controversial issues including revising the immigration policy. With the promise to bring back the jobs lost due to outsourcing, Trump has successfully garnered the support of the working-class whites, so much that it led him to his victory.

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The question that it raises today is: Will Indian students and job seekers be welcomed in the US as they were before? As critical as this question is, no one has an immediate answer. Some believe it to be an election winning agenda that will be discarded as soon as the dust of the elections settles down. While some believe that it will change the entire academic and corporate demography in the US, adversely affecting the Indian students.

Due to lack of required IT skills among the US professionals, various Indian companies with offices in US used to hire either Indian students graduating from US universities of students in India to work offshore on H-1B visas.

Trump’s campaign revolved around the idea of bringing the outsourced jobs back to the US students. With outrageous statements like, “They are taking our jobs. It is not going to happen anymore, folks”, Trump promised to bring reforms in the H-1B visas policy. If executed, it will put the Indian IT sector in a vulnerable position as 60% of its $100 billion-plus revenue comes from the US.

Not only will it affect the employability of US-based Indian students but will also have an adverse impact on the IT recruitments in India. However, US is most likely to keep in mind the large contributions made by the Indian IT Industry to them through taxes. Supporting this theory Prof Atindra Bhattacharya, Head of Marketing Department, SOIL (School of Inspired Leadership), said that in order to keep the nation growing, Trump will have to maintain participation with growing economies like India.

Bhattacharya further added that academic tie-ups between the two nations are likely to increase, providing more opportunities at US Schools to a larger pool of international students.

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Ruchir Arora, Co-Founder & CEO of Collegedekho.com, says that Trump’s unenthusiastic stand on immigration & issuance of H1B visa may affect student mobility to the US and impact employment opportunities, especially in the IT sector.

Even though Trump’s statements could have merely been an election agenda, they have increased uncertainty in the market. American companies are skeptical about investing in the market and risking their business as there is a possibility that outsourcing taxes will go up.

Irrespective of what the future has in store for the Indian students, US Poll results have left us all wondering what Trump has in mind regarding the immigration policies.