In Focus by The Hindu Is there an H1-B ‘scam’ that affects both Indian and American workers?
Sep 22, 2025
Tanul Thakur, an independent journalist and author of "Wild Wild East," draws from his own experiences as a former H-1B worker to delve into the complexities of the H-1B visa program. He discusses the implications of President Trump's hefty fee increase and questions claims about visa abuse affecting American workers. Tanul reveals troubling practices among consultancy firms exploiting workers and illustrates systemic loopholes that continue to harm both Indian and American IT professionals.
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Program Rooted In A Flawed Study
- The H-1B program began after a flawed NSF study claimed a massive STEM shortage, which was later debunked.
- Tanul Thakur argues the original premise for large-scale skilled immigration was based on bad data and political influence.
Law Changes Favored Industry And Academia
- Legislative changes expanded H-1B exemptions and allowed academia to hire outside the cap, benefiting industry-academia alliances.
- Thakur highlights a backdoor deal between tech lobbies and universities that skewed policy toward more foreign hires.
Personal Entry Into H-1B World
- Tanul describes his path from Manipal to UIUC and then to a US power-electronics job, where he noticed displaced older American workers.
- His entry exposed him early to "Desi consultancy" practices that placed Indian graduates into US IT roles.
