Speculated changes to H-1B visas spark concerns among Yale’s international community
The GOP has recently faced infighting concerning H-1B visas, which are offered to college-educated foreign professionals. Changes to these visas could affect the career plans of international students and scholars at Yale.

Ellie Park, Multimedia Managing Editor
A recent political debate over H-1B visas has concerned international students and scholars on campus.
In December, Republican activists, including former White House adviser Steve Bannon, spoke out against the immigration of skilled migrants, even calling for the deportation of H-1B visa holders. While President Donald Trump and the technocratic wing of his party, including figures like Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy LAW ’13, have defended the program, the debate continues to divide the GOP.
The News spoke with seven international community members at Yale about possible changes in the H-1B program. Postdoctoral scholars, most of whom are on or planning to transition to the H-1B visa, expressed concerns over potential limitations on the visa and stressed the importance of the program. Undergraduate students were less concerned about the program’s future.
“There was a flurry of exchanges over social media with the incoming administration about H-1B visas during the holidays, and people made many conclusions about that,” said Ozan Say, the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at Yale. “I think it’s no secret that the administration wants to change some of the rules around the H-1B visa, but how that will exactly play out is anybody’s guess right now.”
Currently, the cap on H-1B visas issued every year is 85,000, but this cap excludes non-profit entities, including universities.
Sudheesh Allikka Parambil, a postdoctoral associate currently on an H-1B visa, said a possible removal of this exemption could significantly change his career plans.
“This exemption is critical for non-profit academic institutions, allowing them to recruit and retain talent without being constrained by the cap,” he said. “Losing this provision would not only limit opportunities for researchers but could also jeopardize my ability to build a stable career in academia or research here in the U.S.”
Anubha Seth, also a postdoctoral associate, sees the program as a “key bridge between academia and the workforce.”
Seth said the H-1B visa is a valuable resource for both the U.S. economy and the academic community and that such an ability to attract talent is a privilege for any country.
“Why would a company hire an international worker for a highly-skilled position if they can easily find someone locally –– without the burden of sponsorship or navigating through layers of bureaucracy?” she said. “They’d do it in a heartbeat. The need for H-1B workers is a critical element for advancing the economy and innovation.”
Seth added that new limitations on H-1B visas would not only reduce opportunities for skilled researchers but also slow scientific progress, which affects the whole world.
She thinks policies should work to improve the lives of foreign professionals who are already working for lower wages.
“Working in academia, PhDs often dedicate most of their time to research while earning minimal wages,” she said. “It’s disheartening to see additional stress of visa concerns eating into that valuable time.”
A change some scholars at Yale would like to see in the H-1B program is a transition from a lottery-based system to a merit-based system. Currently, the 85,000 capped H-1B visas, excluding those in non-profits, are chosen through a lottery system.
Jyot Antani, a postdoctoral associate, said that while he hopes to see this change, merit will be hard to determine among candidates as salary would be an imperfect criterion. He added that anti-immigrant politics would also make it unlikely for these changes to happen.
“Defining ‘merit’ poses challenges because wages can vary significantly across industries,” he said. “Due to these challenges and the current political climate, significant changes to H-1B seem unlikely. That said, in the realm of immigration policy, all bets are off, and unexpected things can happen.”
Say said that making the H-1B visa a more “elite” visa has been proposed in Project 2025, which officials in the first Trump administration contributed to.
While it is unclear what this means, he said, it may suggest limiting the H-1B visa to higher-paying jobs, which could hurt scholars who start with entry-level, low-paying jobs.
Say added that it’s true of any administration that there is no general agreement on immigration policy, including visa programs.
For many scholars, the uncertainty around these talks of change is troubling.
“After dedicating so much to education, the instability is discouraging, and frankly, it makes long-term planning feel like navigating a maze in the dark,” Seth said.
Tamrin Chowdhury, a postdoctoral associate who plans to transition to the H-1B visa, said that in the middle of her career, she is looking for a position where she can settle long-term, and unclear visa pathways make this difficult.
Chowdhury added that the Trump administration’s other immigration policies, including the recent executive order ending birthright citizenship, could also affect her career plans.
“If I’m to have a child right now, they will not get U.S. citizenship, right?” she said. “These types of things are very frustrating because the situation is always changing, and you can’t plan for the future. It’s a stressful situation on top of day-to-day career stress.”
The Office of International Students and Scholars is located at 421 Temple St.