Democrat wins in US Congress raise hopes for H-1B visa reforms
Democratic party majority in both houses of the US Congress has raised hopes of relief for Indian professionals, though reversing Trump's visa fee decision will not be easy.
In the US parliamentary (Congress) elections, the Democratic Party has moved towards gaining a majority in both houses. This result will increase the party's influence on immigration, visa and trade policies, which could directly affect Indian professionals working in America.
According to trends, Democrats are close to winning at least 242 seats in the House of Representatives, while Republicans are at 151 seats. In the Senate too, the Democratic Party is likely to get 54 seats, while Republicans have secured 44 seats.
In this election, two prominent Republican leaders who advocated strict monitoring of H-1B visas faced defeat. Senator Jon Husted from Ohio was defeated by Democrat Sherrod Brown, while Ken Paxton in Texas lost to James Talarico.
According to a report by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), out of the total H-1B applications approved during the year 2025, about 70 percent of the beneficiaries were professionals born in India. The share of Chinese citizens was only around 12 percent.
Despite getting a majority in parliament, it will not be easy to cancel the one lakh dollar fee imposed by President Donald Trump on new H-1B visas and the tariffs imposed on Indian goods. To overturn the president's orders through any law, the president's signature is required, or a two-thirds majority is needed in both houses, which the Democrats do not have.
Getting control of the House of Representatives will give the Democratic Party leadership of committees related to immigration and visa oversight. This will allow them to hold hearings and impact departmental funds, but they will not be able to directly revoke executive orders of the president.
Key developments
- Democratic Party projected to win majority in both houses of US Congress.
- Opposition continues against the one lakh dollar fee imposed by the Trump administration on new H-1B visa applications.
- Indians account for about 70 percent of approved H-1B visas.
- Legal hurdles will remain due to lack of a two-thirds majority to overturn presidential decisions.
