Desi Neighbours

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FROM RIDES

Denton → Frisco

3 seats left · $150/seat

Grofyy

Oct 18 · Visa & Immigration

US suspends green-card (PERM) sponsorship for 8 tech firms including TCS, Infosys, MicrosoftOn Oct 8, 2026 the US Department of Labor announced it will stop accepting new PERM applications and processing pending labor certifications for eight companies — Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini — citing alleged misuse of foreign-worker programs. PERM is the mandatory first step for EB-2/EB-3 green-card sponsorship, so the freeze stalls employment-based green cards for workers at these firms. Existing H-1B status is unaffected. India's Ministry of External Affairs responded Oct 9, saying PERM is distinct from H-1B, that talent mobility benefits both economies, and calling the US Vice President's remarks 'unwarranted and deeply offensive.' Source: https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/h1b-visa-news-us-suspends-perm-green-card-sponsorship-microsoft-tcs-it-firms-1820012880-1
JAGRANJOSH.COMhttps://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/h1b-visa-news-us-suspends-perm-green-card-sponsorship-microsoft-tcs-it-firms-1820012880-1
H1B
2 answers

Grofyy

Oct 18 · Visa & Immigration

DHS proposes $70,000 fee per F-1 student for first OPT recommendationDHS filed an Optional Practical Training Fees proposal on Oct 7, 2026 (Federal Register Oct 8): universities would pay $70,000 to DHS before recommending a student for a first OPT, and $30,000 for later OPT including STEM extensions. Schools may pass the cost to students or employers. About 143,740 Indian students were on OPT in 2024-25. The fee is tied to the SEVIS recommendation and is non-refundable once the work permit is issued. Proposal stage only, not final. Source: https://collegedunia.com/usa/news/us-proposes-usd-70000-fee-per-f1-student-for-first-opt-recommendation
COLLEGEDUNIA.COMhttps://collegedunia.com/usa/news/us-proposes-usd-70000-fee-per-f1-student-for-first-opt-recommendation
H1B
2 answers

FROM TRAVEL

VTZ → HYD

Nov 5 · Offering company · Qatar Airways

Mehamood Shaik

Oct 18 · Visa & Immigration

Sharing my experience in case it helps anyone preparing for their US visa interview. My profile Indian citizen, recent graduate Employer: Microsoft Purpose: Internal conference in Seattle Visa: B1/B2 The appointment process Microsoft arranged a group appointment for around 25 employees travelling to the US within a few days. We completed our fingerprints, photograph and visa interview on the same day, at the same location. We paid through US Visa Scheduling, but Microsoft coordinated the group appointment. There were multiple active interview booths. Around 21 of us got approved, but 4 were refused. The weird part All four people who got rejected were interviewed at the same booth, one after another, in the same queue. The queue apparently stopped after those four. The questions they received were along the lines of: Why are you going to the US? How long have you been at Microsoft? Have you travelled internationally before? All four were recent grads who had joined Microsoft around three months ago. They explained that they were going for a Microsoft event and had no previous international travel history. The questioning seemed quite brief, and all four were refused. My interview I explained that I was going to Seattle for an internal conference with around 1,800 participants worldwide, specifically for early-career employees and recent graduates. I was also asked about my role, tenure, salary, interview rounds, travel history and reasons to return to India. I answered honestly and directly. We received our passports roughly one day later. Honestly, having Microsoft coordinate the appointment and get biometrics and interviews done together was convenient. Big Tech perks, I guess?
H1B
2 answers

Grofyy

Oct 19 · Visa & Immigration

F-1 visas issued to Indians fell by more than half in FY2025, new tracker showsState Department data shows F-1 visa issuance to applicants in India fell by more than half in fiscal year 2025 versus FY2024. A new monthly tracker finds steep drops at all five US posts in India: New Delhi down 44%, Mumbai down 66%, Chennai down 76%, Hyderabad down 81% and Kolkata down 73% - a combined 70% fall from 13,900 to 4,161 issuances from October to February. Meanwhile interview wait times for student and exchange (F, M, J) visas now range from under two weeks in Chennai to 2.5 months in Mumbai. Source: https://abroadbrief.com/us-student-visas-india-2025-chart-tracker/
ABROADBRIEF.COMhttps://abroadbrief.com/us-student-visas-india-2025-chart-tracker/
H1B
2 answers

FROM ROOMS

Shared Room in New York

$43/mo · from Oct 30

Anonymous Eagle

Oct 18 · Visa & Immigration

I graduated in December 2025 after five years in the U.S. Finding a job was hard but I finally got an RN position at a nearby hospital. Because nursing does not qualify for the STEM OPT extension, my work authorization expires this coming December. My employer was willing to sponsor me through Schedule A / PERM for a green card, but I didn't fully understand what all it took. I mistakenly assumed the filing process would bridge the gap before my OPT ran out. In these five years, I built an entire life in the USA and I worked very hard. So so hard. Now it feels like all that hard work is now going to be placed in packing boxes.
Student
1 answer

Grofyy

Oct 18 · Visa & Immigration

DHS moves to end H-1B extension deference, scraps automatic H-4 work-permit renewalsDHS and USCIS posted two measures for Federal Register inspection on Oct 13, 2026: a proposed rule ending deference to prior H-1B approvals on extensions (every renewal would face fresh scrutiny and more evidence requests), and a final rule ending automatic H-4 EAD renewals. Indians, who hold the bulk of H-1B visas and H-4 EADs, are expected to be hit hardest. The deference change is a proposal only for now; the H-4 auto-renewal end is effective now. Source: https://www.nationpress.com/international/us-kills-h-1b-deference-ends-h-4-auto-renewals
NATIONPRESS.COMhttps://www.nationpress.com/international/us-kills-h-1b-deference-ends-h-4-auto-renewals
H1B
1 answer

FROM ROOMMATES

Need room

$55–$666/mo · flexible move-in · Gachibowli

Grofyy

Oct 19 · Visa & Immigration

Cognizant files zero H-1B registrations for FY2027; Infosys down 91%, TCS down 95%A Congressional Research Service report published Oct 14 shows H-1B lottery registrations by major Indian IT firms collapsed for the FY2027 cycle: Cognizant filed zero registrations (down 100% from 3,752 in FY2026), Infosys filed 759 (down 91% from 8,886), and TCS filed 284 (down 95% from 5,955). Across the largest IT staffing and outsourcing firms, combined registrations fell about 92%, from 24,946 to 2,055, per a Sept 23 Federal Register publication. The drop follows a $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions and a new wage-weighted selection system favoring higher-paid workers. The numbers cover new lottery entries, not existing H-1B holders, but they signal sharply rising costs on the main route Indian tech professionals use to enter the US. Source: https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/indian-it-giants-h-1b-visa-registrations-fall-amid-trumps-crackdown-infosys-cognizant-tcs-report-fewer-entries-11792385645179.html
LIVEMINT.COMhttps://www.livemint.com/companies/news/indian-it-giants-h-1b-visa-registrations-fall-amid-trumps-crackdown-infosys-cognizant-tcs-report-fewer-entries-11792385645179.html
H1B
0 answers
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