Over 1 lakh ‘dependent’ Indians in the US are fearing ‘self-deportation’. Here's why

Amid former US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, over one lakh children of Indian H-1B visa holders in the United States are now at risk of self-deportation. These individuals, known as ‘documented dreamers’, moved to the US with their NRI parents on H-4 dependent visas, which expire once they turn 21, leaving them in a state of uncertainty Amid Trump's immigration crackdown, over 1 lakh ‘dependent’ Indians in the US fear ‘self-deportation’. Known as “documented dreamers,” these individuals arrived in the US as children with their NRI parents on H-4 dependent visas. Pixabay At the time, Obama described the move as an effort to “mend our nation’s immigration policy, to make it more fair, more efficient, and more just – specifically for certain young people sometimes called ‘Dreamers’.” The term “Dreamers” originates from the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors bill, which sought to provide a path to permanent legal residency for undocumented immigrants. While converting to an F-1 visa is an option, she admitted it would put a “huge financial burden on our families, many of whom are already struggling with the high cost of living in the US.” For some, switching to an F-1 student visa from H-4 visas seems like a possible way to stay in the US, but it comes with major challenges as one is ruled out from in-state tuition, federal financial aid, and certain scholarships.