US Companies Face Anti-Indian Backlash After Trump's H-1B Visa Overhaul

A rise in hostility toward Indian professionals and businesses in the United States has followed recent changes to the country's skilled-worker visa system, according to experts cited by the Financial Times. The shift has been linked to policy revisions introduced by the Trump administration in September, which significantly altered the H-1B visa programme.

Under the new framework, applicants now face a sharply increased application fee of $100,000, alongside a wage-based selection process that prioritises higher-paid roles. The administration has defended the overhaul as necessary to "protect American workers".

From February, the restrictions are expected to tighten further. US authorities are set to favour the highest-paid candidates, classified as Level-IV H-1B applicants, making it even harder for many skilled migrants to qualify.

As these changes took effect, several major US corporations, including FedEx, Walmart and Verizon, became targets of online harassment. Social media users have accused the companies of illegally selling jobs to Indian workers.

According to Raqib Naik, executive director of the Center for the Study of Organised Hate, some of the attacks appear to be part of organised campaigns. He said Indian American entrepreneurs who obtained loans from the government-backed Small Business Administration have been singled out for coordinated harassment.

Naik warned that discrimination has intensified, with Indians increasingly portrayed as "job stealers and visa scammers".

Data Shows Sharp Rise in Threats

Analysis by advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate, along with counterterrorism firm Moonshot, found that threats of violence against South Asian communities rose by 12 per cent in November last year. During the same period, the use of online slurs targeting South Asians jumped by 69%.

The surge in hostility has coincided with a growing number of Indian professionals migrating to the US. American firms have increasingly recruited software developers, engineers, doctors and researchers from India to fill gaps where domestic candidates are scarce.

FedEx CEO Targeted After Viral Video

Tensions were further inflamed in the run-up to Christmas after footage of a damaged FedEx truck spread widely on social media. The viral clip sparked a wave of comments directed at FedEx's Indian-origin chief executive, Raj Subramaniam.

Among the posts circulating online was one that read, "Stop the f****** Indian takeover of our great American companies."

Several right-wing commentators, including Andrew Torba, the founder of social media platform Gab, accused Subramaniam of laying off White American employees and replacing them with Indian workers.

FedEx has firmly rejected those claims. The company reiterated that hiring decisions are based on merit, not nationality. "For more than 50 years, FedEx has fostered a merit-based culture that creates opportunity for everyone," the company said. "We take great pride that this has resulted in a workforce that represents the diversity of the more than 220 countries and territories we serve."

DEI Rollbacks Add to Unease

The backlash is unfolding against a broader shift in corporate America. Over the past year, dozens of companies have scaled back or suspended diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives after conservative critics argued that such programmes unfairly disadvantaged white Americans.

Observers say the rollback, combined with tighter immigration rules and political rhetoric around jobs, has contributed to an environment in which Indian professionals and businesses are increasingly being singled out.