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Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Big remittance cheer for NRIs! US Senate draft of Donald Trump's ‘One Big Beautiful Bill' reduces remittance tax to 1% from 3.5%; details here
United States contributed approximately $32 billion in remittances to India in 2023-24. (AI image) US remittance tax relief on the cards! Non-Resident Indians or NRIs have reason to breathe a sigh of relief as the final draft of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' proposes just 1% tax on remittances, as against 3.5% earlier. Originally, the bill sought a 5% remittance tax but the final House version lowered it to 3.5%. However, the US Senate draft has lowered it further. The introduction of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' had initially created anxiety amongst the US-based Indian community regarding its potential effects on money transfers to India. The United States hosts approximately 2.9 million Indians as of 2023, making them the second-largest foreign-born population, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Remittance Tax Relief The tax imposed shall apply only to any remittance transfer for which the sender provides cash, a money order, a cashier's check, or any other similar physical instrument. Also Read | 'Like H-1B without a lottery': What is O-1 visa? New route to US becomes popular among Indians; check details The updated US Senate draft released yesterday also provides exemptions for transfers from bank accounts and other financial institutions, whilst also excluding transactions made through US-issued debit and credit cards, according to an ET report. Consequently, routine remittance transactions are likely to be exempt from this new taxation structure. According to the Senate's proposal, the remittance tax will only be implemented on qualifying transfers conducted after December 31, 2025. US Biggest Source Of Remittances For India International remittances serve as a vital economic lifeline, particularly for developing economies. Countries such as India derive significant benefits from these overseas transfers, with numerous rural communities relying heavily on such foreign income. According to RBI's latest survey in March, the United States contributed approximately $32 billion, representing 28 per cent of India's total remittance receipts of $118.7 billion in 2023-24. The Reserve Bank's March study highlighted an increasing trend of qualified professionals moving to developed countries, with the United States accounting for 27.7% of remittances. Advanced economies contributed over 50% of total remittances in fiscal year 2023-24, signalling evolving migration trends. Also Read | No more TACO? What happens to Trump's tariffs after US attack on Iran? From 'World Chickening Out' to 'No One Chickens Out' - here's what may happen The United States has become the primary source, increasing its share to 27.7% in FY24 from 23.4% in 2020-21. The report stated that "the share of the UK has also increased to 10.8% in 2023-24 from 6.8% in 2020-21, which may be attributed to the 'Migration and Mobility Partnership' (2021) between India and the UK." This new regulation would impact several categories of Indian nationals residing in the US, including H-1B professionals, L-1 visa holders (intra-company transferees), and permanent residents. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
How Trump is turning a routine traffic stop into a weapon for deportation
The Trump administration is sharply increasing arrests of unauthorized immigrants by partnering with local police departments across the United States, a trend first reported by The Washington Post. The initiative has boosted the use of '287(g)' agreements — which deputize officers to enforce federal immigration law — from 135 accords in 16 states to over 700 across 40 states in just five months. The arrests have affected people far beyond serious criminals. At least four immigrants stopped for routine traffic violations were later sent to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador, records obtained by The Washington Post showed. Among those detained were a teenager on the way to volleyball practice, a young father picking up baby formula, and construction workers going to jobs. Martínez, one of those arrested, had lived in the US for 25 years and had no violent convictions, only a few misdemeanor charges from over 20 years ago. Expanded role of local police Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indonesia: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo Muzaffar Chishti of the Migration Policy Institute told The WaPo, 'There are now legs and arms of ICE in so many places that did not exist before.' Under the 287(g) program, local officers can now enforce federal immigration laws during routine patrols, beyond working in jails or serving warrants. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) The program originated in 1996 but gained momentum after the Sept. 11 attacks. Its expansion came under scrutiny when Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona used it to justify racial profiling and unlawful arrests. The Obama administration ended such agreements, focusing enforcement within jails. Under Trump, these accords have been reintroduced, and more than 330 new partnerships have been signed across 30 states. Live Events You Might Also Like: Federal judge says Trump can't tie state funding to immigration enforcement Several studies have found that these agreements don't reduce crime and can foster discrimination. 'I think the program imposes costs on American taxpayers without producing any outcome that's worth it,' said Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute. 'Every dollar they spend going after a nonviolent person is a dollar that could have been spent going after real criminals.' Cases highlight impact on families Several recent arrests have sparked public concern. In Georgia, Ximena Arias Cristóbal, 19, was detained after a routine traffic stop despite having no violations. Body camera footage later confirmed she had been wrongly pulled over. In Louisiana, Miguel Rojas Mendoza, a Venezuelan TPS holder, was detained and transferred between facilities before being sent to a mega prison in El Salvador. His family only discovered where he was when a list circulated online. In Tennessee, nearly 200 immigrants were arrested in a series of traffic stops conducted by state troopers and federal agents. According to ICE, 70 had no prior criminal record. 'I had to walk in alone and tell them that he wasn't coming back home tonight,' said Martínez's wife, White, describing the moment she spoke with their three children. 'Everybody started crying. They wanted to know what happened. Where was their daddy, what did he do wrong?' Government defends approach You Might Also Like: 'Any illegal immigrants?' Trump asks White House workers about deportation status The growing role of local police in federal immigration enforcement has drawn criticism and legal challenges. Yet Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, defended the initiative. 'Law enforcement targets someone not because of their skin color — but because they are illegal aliens,' she said. With more states signing up for 287(g) agreements and new state immigration enforcement agencies being created, the trend is set to expand, making routine traffic stops a significant risk for unauthorized immigrants across the United States. You Might Also Like: DHS sets strict limits on lawmaker visits to immigration detention centers
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Butterfly effect: Flutter of jobs, migration & oil
By: Prem Udayabhanu A Kerala migrant's inside view of Pittsburgh's steel legacy, shifting politics and how oil prices and job shifts echo across oceans The lingering aura of home and the picture-postcard texture of the professed land differentiate Patoor from Pittsburgh. Much like the seemingly narrow differentiators that set Pittsburgh apart from its northeastern US cradle state of Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, in the swing state of Pennsylvania, did not sway to the Red cauldron in 2025, though Pennsylvania did—as Trump triumphed. P ittsburgh has never elected a Republican mayor in a century. The last time a Republican won a mayoral election was in 1925. Polls are due this November. The scent of red color, though, is wafting across the boulevards that crisscross Meadowridge in Harrison City as Trump squeezed Democratic margins. Notice how the 'U' goes for a toss once you cross the oceanic swathes of the Pacific. Did we hear the linguistic echoes accompanying migration? Perhaps, yes. Just came across the lingering effability of Malabari slang in Patel's Indian store at Mall Plaza Boulevard, Monroeville. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo We also stumbled upon a Tamil family. Telugu and Hindi whispers passed by—speaking loudly is not commonplace here. Official stats about Pittsburgh's scattered Indian demographic are scarce. These were real people, original migrant stories thinly spread across the demographic spectrum of Pittsburgh's so-called Rust Belt terrain. The Brussels-based Migration Policy Institute offered details of diaspora culled from the US Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey. Of the 2.4 million residents of Pittsburgh, 16,000 were of Indian origin. Pittsburgh's population has since crossed three million (a size comparable to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, among Kerala's largest districts). But Pittsburgh's Indian count likely remains the same. STEM of knowledge Stumbled upon a finance graduate—a Mallu-Mumbaikar keen to chase the American dream at Penn State Behrend, Erie. The lanky teen is pursuing finance and business economics at the undergraduate level, sharing a hostel room with a White peer. First-year students are invariably paired with American students in hostels, rarely with another international student. Few Indians pursue finance, he says. Most flock to their national fixation—science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM), especially computer science or computer engineering. That's a broad indicator of Indian students' academic leanings. Nearly 70% of Indian students abroad pursue STEM courses. Employability is the gamble they dabble in when jobs are the sweepstakes. Conveyor belt of jobs Jobs and factories were poll issues at the core of Trump's presidential surge. Trump mocked conventional political wisdom by borrowing generously from the Democrats' playbook and reinforcing the Rust Belt imagery to lord over them. Rust Belt states—the US Midwest and Northeast—were once manufacturing hubs, especially for steel and autos. These include Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan—with Pittsburgh, a key steel hub, located in the Northeast per US Census definitions. Rust Belt was a contrasting play on Sun Belt states, used to describe booming economies in the South and Southwest. The term Rust Bowl was first coined by Ronald Reagan's presidential opponent Walter Mondale. Mondale failed miserably, and Reagan won in a landslide. Trump romped home convincingly, sweeping the Rust Belt states. It is another story that the Rust Bowl coinage itself was a play on the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, when severe dust storms colluded with economic misery to evoke the desolation and rusted factories. Mondale's insinuation was that Reagan's trade policies were turning the industrial US Midwest into a Rust Bowl. The term later morphed into Rust Belt, thanks to imaginative scribes who vouched for Mondale's theory. Golden avenues of dealmaking The new dispensation is eager to follow up on Rust Bowl, as is evident from efforts to bolster Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid to run Pittsburgh-based US Steel, and a golden share announced for the US to checkmate the yet unclear foreign, or Japanese, ownership issue. The golden share reportedly includes a clause allowing a presidential veto if the Japanese were to consider shifting US Steel's HQ from Pittsburgh. That should make the Rust Belt happy, but may worry foreign investors. As Trump zooms past the golden avenues of deal-making, invoking the magic wand wielded by the US President, by relentlessly escalating and backtracking on tariffs as a negotiating tool and nudging global companies to invest and Make America Great Again, oil prices have increased by roughly $10 a barrel, or 20 cents per gallon—thanks to Israel's military adventure in Iran. In the month since the Hamas-Israel conflict erupted, the price of the Indian crude oil basket surged nearly 10%. A litre of petrol now costs roughly Rs 107.48 in Thiruvananthapuram. If you crisscross the oceanic swathes of the Pacific to reach Pittsburgh, you could buy 1.45 litres for the dollar equivalent of that. This is one rare commodity in the US that you can buy cheaper than in India. A chai costs $1.5 at the Indian store in Monroeville. We do not need the IQ of STEM aspirants to understand that, unlike in our storied backyards, the welcome absence of the burden of cess alone would push oil prices out of the pricey terrain for all and sundry. For our political machinery, a tax on oil—which you cannot do without—remains the go-to fix for a pedestrian revenue-generation philosophy. The butterfly effect may move oceans and create giant waves. Oceans and titanic waves may spur the flutter of butterflies, if chaos theory is invoked. But the united colors of migration, jobs, stats, and oil may remain unique, distant truths across the planet—perhaps even farther than the oceans that separate them. (The writer is a senior journalist who has shifted to the US)
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Photos of Lesbos 10 years after the migration crisis
This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors. In 2015, more than 1 million migrants and refugees arrived in Europe — the majority by sea, landing in Lesbos, where the north shore is just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Turkey. The influx of men, women and children fleeing war and poverty sparked a humanitarian crisis that shook the European Union to its core. A decade later, the fallout still reverberates on the island and beyond. For many, Greece was a place of transit. They continued on to northern and western Europe. Many who applied for asylum were granted international protection; thousands became European citizens. Countless more were rejected, languishing for years in migrant camps or living in the streets. Some returned to their home countries. Others were kicked out of the European Union. For Namjoyan, Lesbos is a welcoming place — many islanders share a refugee ancestry, and it helps that she speaks their language. But migration policy in Greece, like much of Europe, has shifted toward deterrence in the decade since the crisis. Far fewer people are arriving illegally. Officials and politicians have maintained that strong borders are say enforcement has gone too far and violates fundamental EU rights and values. 'Migration is now at the top of the political agenda, which it didn't use to be before 2015,' said Camille Le Coz Director of the Migration Policy Institute Europe, noting changing EU alliances. 'We are seeing a shift toward the right of the political spectrum.' A humanitarian crisis turned into a political one In 2015, boat after boat crowded with refugees crashed onto the doorstep of Elpiniki Laoumi, who runs a fish tavern across from a Lesbos beach. She fed them, gave them water, made meals for aid organizations. 'You would look at them and think of them as your own children,' said Laoumi, whose tavern walls today are decorated with thank-you notes. From 2015 to 2016, the peak of the migration crisis, more than 1 million people entered Europe through Greece alone. The immediate humanitarian crisis — to feed, shelter and care for so many people at once — grew into a long-term political one. Greece was reeling from a crippling economic crisis. The influx added to anger against established political parties, fueling the rise of once-fringe populist forces. EU nations fought over sharing responsibility for asylum seekers. The bloc's unity cracked as some member states flatly refused to take migrants. Anti-migration voices calling for closed borders became louder. Today, illegal migration is down across Europe While illegal migration to Greece has fluctuated, numbers are nowhere near 2015-16 figures, according to the International Organization for Migration. Smugglers adapted to heightened surveillance, shifting to more dangerous routes. Overall, irregular EU border crossings decreased by nearly 40% last year and continue to fall, according to EU border and coast guard agency Frontex. That hasn't stopped politicians from focusing on — and sometimes fearmongering over — migration. This month, the Dutch government collapsed after a populist far-right lawmaker withdrew his party's ministers over migration policy. In Greece, the new far-right migration minister has threatened rejected asylum seekers with jail time. A few miles from where Namjoyan now lives, in a forest of pine and olive trees, is a new EU-funded migrant center. It's one of the largest in Greece and can house up to 5,000 people. Greek officials denied an Associated Press request to visit. Its opening is blocked, for now, by court challenges. Some locals say the remote location seems deliberate — to keep migrants out of sight and out of mind. 'We don't believe such massive facilities are needed here. And the location is the worst possible – deep inside a forest,' said Panagiotis Christofas, mayor of Lesbos' capital, Mytilene. 'We're against it, and I believe that's the prevailing sentiment in our community.' The legacy of Lesbos Last year, EU nations approved a migration and asylum pact laying out common rules for the bloc's 27 countries on screening, asylum, detention and deportation of people trying to enter without authorization, among other things. 'The Lesbos crisis of 2015 was, in a way, the birth certificate of the European migration and asylum policy,' Margaritis Schinas, a former European Commission vice president and a chief pact architect, told AP. He said that after years of fruitless negotiations, he's proud of the landmark compromise. 'We didn't have a system,' Schinas said. 'Europe's gates had been crashed.' The deal, endorsed by the United Nations refugee agency, takes effect next year. Critics say it made concessions to rights organizations say it will increase detention and erode the right to seek asylum. Some organizations also criticize the 'externalization' of EU border management — agreements with countries across the Mediterranean to aggressively patrol their coasts and hold migrants back in exchange for financial assistance. The deals have expanded, from Turkey to the Middle East and acrossAfrica. Human rights groups say autocratic governments are pocketing billions and often subject the displaced to appalling conditions. Lesbos still sees some migrants arrive Lesbos' 80,000 residents look back at the 2015 crisis with mixed feelings. Fisherman Stratos Valamios saved some children. Others drowned just beyond his reach, their bodies still warm as he carried them to shore. 'What's changed from back then to now, 10 years on? Nothing,' he said. 'What I feel is anger — that such things can happen, that babies can drown.' Those who died crossing to Lesbos are buried in two cemeteries, their graves marked as 'unknown.' Tiny shoes and empty juice boxes with faded Turkish labels can still be found on the northern coast. So can black doughnut-shaped inner tubes, given by smugglers as crude life preservers for children. At Moria, a refugee camp destroyed by fire in 2020, children's drawings remain on gutted building walls. Migrants still arrive, and sometimes die, on these shores. Lesbos began to adapt to a quieter, more measured flow of newcomers. Efi Latsoudi, who runs a network helping migrants learn Greek and find jobs, hopes Lesbos' tradition of helping outsiders in need will outlast national policies. 'The way things are developing, it's not friendly for newcomers to integrate into Greek society,' Latsoudi said. 'We need to do something. ... I believe there is hope.' ___
Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Times
Starmer urged to consider one-in, one-out migrant exchange scheme
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to use next month's UK-France summit to strike a one-in, one-out migrant returns deal. A report by the Migration Policy Institute, a global immigration think tank based in Washington DC, has set out detailed proposals for France and the UK to pursue before the summit. It proposes setting up a series of hubs across France which would screen asylum seekers for eligibility for the UK. Under the plans, France would take back one small boat migrant for each asylum seeker resettled to the UK from the hubs. It would be modelled on the United States' Safe Mobility Offices scheme, which was introduced by the Biden administration in 2023 across countries in South and Central America to screen migrants for asylum before they are exploited by people smugglers and trafficked across borders. It helped individuals find support and access a wide range of services in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala and was credited with a reduction in illegal migration from the countries. In April France opened the door to taking back Channel migrants for the first time after Bruno Retailleau, the French interior minister, said that it would 'send a clear message' to others planning to make the journey. • Chaos on a French beach as police try to stop migrants His comments have raised hopes among officials and ministers in the UK government that a breakthrough is possible after failed attempts by successive UK governments to persuade France to agree to take back migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats. More than 100 migrants are estimated to have crossed the Channel on Thursday, taking the total number of arrivals over the last nine days to more than 2,500. A total of 17,278 have arrived so far this year, up 50 per cent compared with last year. Downing Street admitted earlier this week that the situation in the Channel was 'deteriorating'. The Migration Policy Institute report proposes that the hubs in France would prioritise individuals with connections in Britain and those from countries with high asylum grant rates such as Sudan, which has a 98 per cent acceptance rate, and Eritrea, which has an 86 per cent grant rate. It recommends starting with a pilot programme that would exchange one migrant back to France for each asylum seeker going the other way following successful screening. The programme should operate with a monthly quota that is linked to the numbers returned to France from the UK. • How small boats crisis is linked to rise in rough sleeping The think tank said that the scheme would provide predictable admissions numbers that the UK government could communicate clearly to the public and would regain control of its borders. The report suggests using artificial intelligence to help support processing migrants' applications at the hubs. It argues that such a system would strengthen the deterrent effect of a returns agreement between the two countries because it would provide a viable and safe alternative to smuggler-facilitated crossings for a segment of the population most at risk of making such journeys. It would also reduce the danger of migrant journeys for the most vulnerable migrants who are most likely to be granted asylum, thereby saving lives. The detailed report also recommends creating a bilateral digital screening pilot that would mirror the EU's Eurodac scheme, which shares the fingerprints and other details of asylum seekers. • French police tear-gas child migrants trying to board dinghy This Eurodac-lite scheme would enable British border officials to check the biometrics of arrivals in the UK against the Eurodac system and thereby facilitate re-admissions from the UK to France. French liaison officers could be stationed at UK intake sites with secure tablets granting read‑only access to Eurodac data. The report said that combining re-admissions with a viable legal alternative held the best chance of curtailing the pull factors for these crossings. The UK-France summit, to be held on July 8-10, is also expected to rubber stamp new French police tactics allowing officers to intercept migrant boats up to 300 metres into the water. However, Care4Calais, the charity that led the successful legal challenge against the Rwanda policy, has said it is considering legal action against the plans. The Migration Policy Institute also proposes that France and the UK operate shared charter flights to reduce the possibility of secondary attempts to cross the Channel. Insufficient flight capacity is one of the major obstacles for France's attempts to deport migrants, according to the report.
