Kamal Ghorui
Immigration lawyer Deepika Singh says Indians have an academic edge over Americans
Indian professionals on H-1B visas have an edge over some American workers because of India’s “robust” education system, a Silicon Valley immigration lawyer has argued. This argument is an old one in the debate over foreign workers in the US tech industry.Speaking about the role of Indian immigrants in America’s economy, Bay Area immigrant advocate Deepika Singh said the Indian community had played a major role in the country’s growth through education, hard work and leadership in business.In an interview with the GB News and US correspondent Steven Edginton, Deepika said: “I think, the Indian community has really helped in the growth of America, just because we come with a lot of academics, right? All Indians are highly educated, and I think we’ve always contributed very highly to the American economy. If you look at a lot of our big companies, a lot of the CEOs are Indians.”The discussion centred on the long-running controversy around H-1B visas, which allow US companies to hire skilled foreign workers, particularly in the technology sector. Most of the applicants of these visas are Indians or Chinese. MAGA supporters claim such visas reduce opportunities for American workers.Singh was asked whether Indian workers on H-1B visas were taking jobs Americans could not do, she said some foreign workers did indeed possess advantages shaped by India’s academic culture.Deepika said: “Some of them, yes. The education system is very robust in India. About me as well, the focus has always been academics, right? For us, when we were in school, our parents would say, ‘Hey, everything else can be taken care of, but just focus on your studies,’ right? So I guess Indians are born that way. We adapt ourselves to quick learning, we can pick up things easily.”She added: “I think the wage level and all that is… I would say we’ve had more robust education when it comes to learning, right? I think yes, when an H-1B is being filed, Indians do have an edge over some other applicants.”Singh rejected the notion that immigrants were displacing American employees. She said outsourcing and overseas hiring are business decisions only.She said: “Outsourcing jobs to India or sending work back to India is a business justification, right? You have to have a need for it. I’m an American, I come to work on a daily basis, I perform my job. I don’t think I have replaced any US worker here. I’ve come here, I’ve worked, I’ve gone through the whole system, and I’ve adapted myself to the environment, and I’m still working.”US President Donald Trump, in September 2025, introduced a major policy change imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions filed for workers outside US. This was a big jump from earlier costs of a few thousand dollars.
