Indians In Us

US charges Indian for conspiring illegal export of aviation parts to Russia

The US has charged a 57-year-old Indian national for allegedly conspiring to export controlled US aviation components to end users in Russia, according to the Justice Department. Sanjay Kaushik was arrested in Miami on October 17 and was indicted on Thursday, the Department of Justice said in a press release on Friday. He was indicted for conspiring to illegally export aviation components with dual civilian and military applications to end users in Russia in violation of the Export Control Reform Act. Kaushik is also charged with attempting to illegally export a navigation and flight control system from Oregon to Russia through India and with making false statements in connection with an export. If convicted, he faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and up to USD 1 million for each count in the indictment. According to the court documents, beginning as early as March 2023, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kaushik conspired with others to unlawfully obtain

Men prioritised money over life leading to deaths of Indians: US prosecutor

Nearly three years after a couple from India and their two young children froze to death while trying to cross the border from Canada into the US, two men went on trial Monday on human smuggling charges, accused of being part of a criminal network that stretched around the world. Prosecutors say Indian national Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel (29) ran part of the scheme and recruited Steve Shand (50) of Florida to shuttle migrants across the border. Both men have pleaded not guilty in federal court in Minnesota. They're standing trial before US District Judge John Tunheim, with proceedings expected to last about five days. They each face four counts related to human smuggling. On January 19, 2022, Shand was allegedly waiting in a truck for 11 migrants, including the family of four from the village of Dingucha in Gujarat state. Prosecutors say 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; the couple's 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and three-year-old son, Dharmik

From FY21 to FY23, US sees a dramatic 855% surge in Indian asylum seekers

In 2023, Indians were the fifth-largest group to seek defensive asylum and the seventh-largest in affirmative asylum applications

Indian community has distinguished itself in USA positively: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Philadelphia International Airport on Saturday morning (local time) on the first day of his three day visit to the United States

Opportunity for Indian students: Apply for US internships via this portal

The Consulate General of India (CGI) in New York has launched a dedicated platform for you to find internship opportunities

Overseas friends of BJP to celebrate PM Modi's victory in 22 US cities

Supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are planning to celebrate his third swearing-in in 22 cities across the United States, a senior leader from Overseas Friends of BJP-USA has said. The celebrations in cities, including New York, Jersey City, Washington DC, Boston, Tampa, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, would be spread over the current and the coming weekends. Victory celebrations will be held from this Friday to next Sunday in 22 cities in the US, OFBJP-USA President Adapa Prasad told PTI on Friday. During the election campaign, OFBJP-USA and its members conducted several awareness campaigns in various American cities that ranged from car rallies to calling people in India. The BJP is the largest party in Lok Sabha, and this is the first time since 1962 that a prime minister has been voted to power for the third consecutive term. Prime Minister Modi is set to take oath for a third consecutive term, a first in over 60 years. This is a his

National Spelling Bee: Reflection of Indian immigrants at global stage

When Balu Natarajan became the first Indian American champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1985, a headline on an Associated Press article read, Immigrants' son wins National Spelling Bee, with the first paragraph noting the champion speaks his parents' native Indian language at home. Those details would hardly be newsworthy today after a quarter-century of Indian American spelling champs, most of them the offspring of parents who arrived in the United States on student or work visas. This year's bee is scheduled to begin Tuesday at a convention centre outside Washington and, as usual, many of the expected contenders are Indian American, including Shradha Rachamreddy, Aryan Khedkar, Bruhat Soma and Ishika Varipilli. Nearly 70 per cent of Indian-born US residents arrived after 2000, according to census data, and that dovetails with the surge in Indian American spelling bee champions. There were two Indian American Scripps winners before 1999. Of the 34 since, 28 have been

26-year-old Indian student missing in Chicago since May 2: Police

A 26-year-old Indian student has been reported missing in Chicago since May 2, India's mission in the US city said on Thursday, the latest case in the country as the community grapples with a string of such incidents involving students. Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi has been missing from the 4300 block of N. Sheridan Rd, the Chicago Police said in a statement. The Consulate General of India in Chicago said it was in touch with the police and Indian diaspora to locate/reestablish contact with Rupesh. "The Consulate is deeply concerned learning that Indian student Rupesh Chandra Chintakindi has been incommunicado since 2nd May. The consulate is in touch with the police and the Indian diaspora hoping to locate/reestablish contact with Rupesh. @IndianEmbassyUS @MEAIndia," the Consulate posted on X. On May 6, the Chicago police in a statement asked people to provide information to the police if they locate Rupesh. The incident is the latest in a string of troubling cases on the safety an

Nearly 66,000 Indians took oath of American citizenship in 2022: CRS report

As many as 65,960 Indians officially became US citizens, making India the second-largest source country for new citizens in America after Mexico, according to a latest Congressional report. An estimated 46 million foreign-born persons resided in the United States in 2022, approximately 14 per cent of the total US population of 333 million, according to American Community Survey data from the US Census Bureau. Of these, 24.5 million, about 53 per cent, reported their status as naturalised citizens. In its latest US Naturalisation Policy report of April 15, the independent Congressional Research Service in the fiscal year 2022, 969,380 individuals became naturalised US citizens. Individuals born in Mexico represented the largest number of naturalisations, followed by persons from India, Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, it said. Based on the latest available data, CRS said in 2022, as many as 128,878, Mexican nationals became American citizens. They were followed by Ind

Resolution tabled in US Cong condemning attacks on Hindu places of worship

Celebrating the contributions of Hindus and Hinduism to the US, a prominent Indian-American Congressman has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives condemning Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry, hate and intolerance. The resolution that was introduced by Congressman Shri Thanedar on Wednesday has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. The resolution reads that despite their positive contributions to the United States, Hindu Americans face stereotypes and disinformation about their heritage and symbols, and have been the targets of bullying in schools and on college campuses, as well as discrimination, hate speech, and bias-motivated crimes. According to the FBI's Hate Crimes Statistics Report, anti-Hindu hate crimes targeting mandirs and persons are annually on the rise while in parallel Hinduphobia in American society is unfortunately rising, the resolution said. Noting that the United States has welcomed more than four million Hindus f

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi advises Indian students in US to be 'watchful'

Nooyi advised Indian students to respect local laws and not engage in drugs or excessive drinking

Matrimony.com launches mobile dating app for Indians living in US

Matchmaking service provider Matrimony.com has launched its exclusive dating mobile application 'MeraLuv' aimed at serving the Indian nationals living in the United States. The application has robust safety mechanism prioritising user privacy and each profile undergoes rigorous verification towards providing a secure environment for the users, the company said in a statement on Thursday. "As the population of Indians in the US continues to rise, we discovered that there is a need for them to connect with individuals who resonate with their values, lifestyle and aspirations. MeraLuv is poised to help them find a match within the diaspora," said company founder-CEO Murugavel Janakiraman. The application has been launched after extensive research and consultation with the members of the Indian community and serves to address the gap in the market, the release added.

59K Indians acquired US citizenship last yr, making up 6.7% of new citizens

Further, according to the report, 44,800 (5.1 per cent) of newly enlisted American citizens were from the Philippines and 35,200 (4 per cent) from the Dominican Republic.

Indians form third largest illegal immigrant population in US: Pew Research

There were about 725,000 Indian illegal immigrants in the US -- the third largest population of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador, according to new Pew Research Centre estimates. As of 2021, the country's 10.5 million unauthorised immigrants represented about three per cent of the total US population and 22 per cent of the foreign-born population, the Washington-based think tank said. Almost every region in the world had a notable increase in the number of unauthorised immigrants in the US from 2007 to 2021, with the largest increase from Central America (240,000) and South and East Asia (180,000). While the number of unauthorised immigrants from Mexico living in the US -- 4.1 million in 2021 -- was the lowest since the 1990s, El Salvador -- 800,000 -- and India with 725,000 immigrants saw an increase in the numbers, the report said. Among countries with the largest numbers of US unauthorised immigrants, India, Brazil, Canada and former Soviet Union countries all

US recommends job authorisation documents early in Green Card application

A White House Commission has recommended issuing an employment authorisation card and other necessary travel documents at the preliminary stage of the Green Card application processing system, a proposal if approved by the US president would be a big relief to thousands of foreign professionals, an overwhelming majority of whom are Indians. A recommendation on this was approved by the White House Commission for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Affairs on Thursday. A Green Card, known officially as a Permanent Resident Card, is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing permanently. There are multiple stages in the Green Card application process, and it starts with employers filing I-140 applications, and the next important step is an adjustment of status called I485. This is when they currently get their Employment Authorisation Card - EAD and travel documents Advance Parole, which .

Indian body in US seeks flexibility in issuing job authorisation card

Coming to the defence of thousands of Indian-Americans languishing in the decades-old green card backlog, an Indian diaspora body has urged the Biden Administration to relax the rules of issuing employment authorisation cards. Around 1.1 million Indian-origin non-immigrant visa holders are waiting for their priority date to become current to apply for an I-485 for a green card, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) said, adding that the country-wise limit of seven per cent restricts their annual approval, causing almost 135 years of delays, and estimated more than 400,000 would not see permanent residency in their lifetime. Issuing Employment Authorisation Cards during the early stages of green card processing would help a large number of Indian Americans, their spouse and grown-up kids from a lot of uncertainties and distress, FIIDS said. Recognising the imperative of maintaining America's competitive advantage, it is crucial to acknowledge the immense ...

US on track to issue over a million visas to Indians this year: Official

The US is on track to issue more than a million visas to Indians this year, a senior official has said, assuring that the Biden administration is committed this summer to make sure it processes all of the student visas for Indians whose school starts this fall. US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu also told PTI in an interview this week that they are also prioritising work visas: H-1B's and L visas, the most sought-after by IT professionals from India. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. We are on track to issue more than a million visas this year. This is a record for us along with a record number of student visas and immigrant visas, Lu said. Lu said the US is committed this summer to make sure it proces

East Coast Chapter of the Bihar Foundation launched in New York

The Bihar Foundation is the diaspora cell of the Government of Bihar and is chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad

Indian diaspora has distinguished itself across the world: PM Modi in US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commended Indian Diaspora for distinguishing itself across the world as he received a warm welcome from the community on his arrival here. He was greeted by groups of Indian Americans at the airport soon after his plane landed here Wednesday and later at the hotel where he had an interaction with the members of the community. Grateful to the Indian community in Washington DC for the warm welcome. Our diaspora is our strength, Modi said in a tweet along with a set of pictures of his interaction with the Indian American CEOs. It is commendable how the Indian diaspora has distinguished itself across the world, Modi said. One of the signature events of the Prime Minister's overseas visit has been his meetings with the diaspora community in large gatherings. However, due to the current COVID-19 situation, the prime minister is unlikely to have a large gathering or meeting with the diaspora. Modi has been popular among Indian Americans, who constitute

US lawmakers seek to ease green card backlog; move may help Indians

A group of 40 US lawmakers has sought a path to lawful permanent residence for the 1.2 million people in the employment-based green card backlog, a significant majority of whom are from India.