Visa restrictions are bad for Indians—but maybe not for India

Photograph: Atul Loke/The New York Times/Redux/Eyevine

Nov 20th 2025|Mumbai|5 min read

Governments across the rich world are tightening migration policies in sync. New applicants for America’s H-1B “high-skilled” worker visa must now pay an upfront fee of $100,000. Britain has reduced the length of its post-study visa from two years to 18 months, and has proposed a 6% levy on university fees. Canada has capped foreign-student numbers. According to the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, the number of long-term migrants arriving for work in the rich world fell by a fifth in 2024 compared with the previous year. The number of those moving for study was down by 13%.