Daily Briefing: The high stakes of H-1B visa debate

On that note, let’s get to today’s edition. 👇

🚨 Big Story

Back in December, when US President Donald Trump was yet to take office, and billionaire Elon Musk was still his “first buddy”, Americans were divided on the need for H-1B visas. Trump supporters had opened up a new anti-immigration front, pushing back on the H-1B visa programme, which allows American firms to hire skilled foreign workers. Trump seemed to settle the debate, agreeing with Musk that the H-1B program was essential but needed changes.

The debate has resurfaced once again. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has said that the US intends to modify the H-1B visa programme and green cards.

The for: American tech firms have often relied on the programme to fill the gap in the availability of highly skilled workers in the US by hiring from countries like India and China.

The against: Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has called the H-1B programme a “total scam”. The rhetoric, often fuelled by racism, goes that these programmes take away jobs from the American working class already struggling with unemployment, low wages and inflation, and hand them to foreigners.

The stakes: Indians make up a large cohort of those seeking H-1B visas. Data shows that over 70 per cent of all approved H-1B petitions since 2015 were from Indians. Many worker visa holders end up applying for green cards, permanent residency and eventually, citizenship. Changes in these programs jeopardise the future of many. While details of the visa overhaul are scarce, the administration may introduce caps on intakes. This not only means lower access for Indians to US firms, but also fewer US-based contracts for IT firms in India, hitting their revenues.

⚡Only in Express

Sweet reward: In recent years, Indians have been captivated with exotic produce, from avocados and dragon fruit to persimmons and pecan nuts. Now, a new superfood has caught the fancy of Indian agriculturists: blueberries. Though domestic production remains small, growing blueberries is remarkably rewarding for farmers. One estimates a profit of Rs 64 lakh per acre by year five of the plantation. My colleague Anju Agnihotri Chaba spoke to agriculturists across the land, from Kullu to Ooty, to understand the growing shift towards blueberries.

📰 From the Front Page

Tragic: The heaviest-ever recorded rainfall in the Jammu province has left a trail of death and devastation. At least 41 people died between Tuesday and Wednesday. Most of the deceased were Vaishno Devi pilgrims, following a cloudburst near Adhkunwari. The incident raised questions about why the officials did not halt the yatra.

Tariff rethink: As the 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods take effect, Anil Sasi outlines how the current scenario offers an opportunity to rethink India’s trade policy, particularly its overreliance on the US market. This might open the doors to India joining a multinational pact to integrate itself into the global supply chains.

🎧 For more on the impact of the tariffs, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode.

📌 Must Read

‘Who am AI’: Author Gurcharan Das is hard at work on a new project: One that aims to clone his voice for an Artificial Intelligence-powered interactive version of the Bhagavad Gita. The concept is as simple as it is novel: Readers can ask the AI questions as they read the text and engage in discussions with it at the end of each chapter. The AI will respond in Das’s cloned voice. In our Opinion pages today, Das reflects on the questions of selfhood, identity and authenticity — ironically, the same questions the Gita seeks to answer — that this project has evoked in him. You don’t want to miss this one.

Vote chase: The streets of Bihar are being treated to a rather unusual sight these days: Rahul Gandhi on a motorbike, with Priyanka Gandhi riding pillion, and Tejashwi Yadav on another bike, leading their 16-day march across the state. The Voter Adhikar Yatra is pulling crowds like never before. The yatra also gives a platform for Gandhi and Yadav to double down on the “vote chori” allegations against the Election Commission and the BJP. The yatra’s popularity, on top of the corruption allegations by Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashan Kishor, has forced a rethink in BJP ranks over its strategy in poll-bound Bihar.

⏳ And Finally…

Eight years after her second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, celebrated author Arundhati Roy is back with a new book, a memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me. The book will be released today. My colleague Paromita Chakrabarti sat down with Roy to talk about her latest work, and how it “unsettles the familiar myth of motherhood”, replacing it with something “knottier”. Read.

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta

Business As Usual by EP Unny