US visa policy changes, social media vetting raise concerns for Pune students regarding their re-entry
For many Indians living in the United States, the thought of travelling home to visit loved ones has become filled with uncertainty and anxiety regarding their return. Recent visa policies introduced in the past year have exacerbated these concerns.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the suspension of student visa processing in May to prepare for more extensive screening measures. Processing resumed a month later with the implementation of social media vetting, which required foreign applicants to provide open access to all their social media accounts, associating this requirement to national security concerns.
While former policies already involved limited social media checks, new measures assess applicants' potential risks and is a wider vetting process. 'Now that they're going through social media, another complexity is added,' says Anuradha Gupta, 18, a student from Pune studying in California.
'If you're a part of any political or activist organisation, they would consider it as instigating the public, and you'd get deported. University organisations have advised us not to come back, and because I did, I'm scared that I'll get to customs and borders and they won't let me in even though I have all of my student documents,' says Gupta.
The US administration began abruptly revoking foreign students' visas without notice in April through Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) terminations reported by universities nationwide. SEVIS, a government system used to monitor non-immigrant students and exchange visitors, was reinstated within the month, but the volatility of the situation alarmed international students.
'Many people suggested that I stay back in the US,' says Raghav Shetty, 18, a student from Pune studying in Minnesota.
'There was a lot of uncertainty because there were days when you would wake up to find out that some of the SEVIS records had been terminated, and then a few days later, they said that the records had been restored.' Shetty explains.
Such varying policies put students at risk of being affected by unknown changes at any point, making it harder to return home. While Isha Agarwal, 18, a student from Pune studying in California, acknowledged this, she felt it to be a calculated risk.
'When I came back, I took a risk because immigration policies are changing every day. But I don't have a public social media presence, haven't participated in political activities and haven't had any interaction with the police,' says Agarwal.
However, she further elaborates on the impact of changing policies on students. 'There shouldn't be a problem, and I'm not on an immigrant visa, but there are international travel policies that are also risky, especially for international students and their return.'
While students are wary of their return, working professionals living seem to be more confident about their return to the US. 'I, personally, have not faced any significant issues related to visa uncertainty,' says Nishant Chitkara, 25.
The H1B Modernisation Final Rule, introduced by the Department of Homeland Security in January, aimed to streamline the visa review and approval process for working professionals.
'I'm on an H1B and feel stable in my current situation. I don't have any concerns about my ability to move back to India if needed. I've never had to cancel any travel plans out of fear. I do plan my trips based on holidays and work constraints, and I keep the number of visits limited, but not due to concerns about re-entry or job security,' Chitkara says.
(Antara Kulkarni and Riddhi Berry are interns with The Indian Express)
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