Rajiv's Comments in Financial Express - Trump immigration crackdown: New H-1B, OPT restrictions could have ‘ripple effects far beyond professional community’

Published by: Financial Express - May 14, 2026
https://www.financialexpress.com/immigration/trump-immigration-crackdown-new-h-1b-opt-restrictions-could-have-ripple-effects-far-beyond-professional-community/4240271/

Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:

Trump immigration crackdown: New H-1B, OPT restrictions could have ‘ripple effects far beyond professional community’

According to immigration attorney Rajiv S. Khanna, speaking to the financialexpress.com, “Eliminating parts of OPT would be among the most consequential provisions in this bill, if it ever became law, and its effects would ripple far beyond the Indian professional community. OPT is the bridge between an F-1 student completing their degree and either entering the workforce or competing in the H-1B lottery.”

He continued, “STEM OPT, in particular, provides post-degree work authorisation that serves as a de facto talent pipeline for American universities and employers and, ultimately, the employment-based green card system. Without OPT, many international students would face a binary choice: win the H-1B lottery on their first attempt immediately after graduation, or leave the country.”

Khanna also warned that American universities, especially STEM programs, could take a major hit because international students make up a large share of graduate research programs. He argued that removing OPT would weaken the talent pipeline feeding sectors like technology, healthcare and scientific research.

“The long-term economic consequence would be felt most in research, healthcare, and technology. The legal consequences are also significant: eliminating OPT would require unwinding decades of regulatory infrastructure and would face immediate litigation on administrative and statutory grounds,” he added.

He was equally critical of proposals linked to H-1B salary reforms, particularly ideas around a flat $200,000 wage floor. Khanna said such a rule may sound tough politically but could effectively shut out firms that rely on skilled foreign workers but cannot afford Silicon Valley-level salaries.

“A $200,000 wage floor combined with a wage-weighted lottery does not reform the system,” Khanna said. “It hands the entire program to large technology companies and shuts the door on every hospital, research lab, startup, and mid-sized employer that cannot match those compensation levels.” He added that such measures would not protect American workers but instead weaken the broader economic ecosystem that depends on skilled immigration.