₹2 crore loan, no jobs: Indian family’s US dream turns into debt trap

US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration has impacted thousands of Indians who are now struggling to find jobs in the United States after investing huge amounts of money in a degree. The story of one such family was shared X user Aditya, who said a close friend of his took a massive loan to send both his sons to the United States.Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and how it affected one Indian family. (File photo/Representative image)The two children, after acquiring expensive master’s degrees, struggled to land jobs in the US. Meanwhile, their father back home in India was prepared to sell his flat so they could continue living in the US.A loan of ₹2 crore“A close friend of mine sent both his kids to the US in spite of not having the means to do it,” Aditya, a Visakhapatnam-based entrepreneur, said in an X post.He said the father had a loan of ₹1.5 crore the time his sons’ education in the US was completed. (Also read: Indian man on H-1B laid off while visiting India, seeks urgent advice on flying back to US)In the normal course of events, one would hope to continue working in the United States on an H-1B visa after obtaining a degree. However, Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration has tightened H-1B visa rules.After completing their education, both the Indian students struggled to land jobs in the US. Their father, meanwhile, continued to support them sending them money.“Earlier, he would send them 1 lakh each month to augment their part-time income. After Trump, he got them to quit their part-time jobs and started sending 2 lakhs each,” said Aditya.Eventually, his loan crossed ₹2 crore.“A terrible situation”To continue funding his sons in the US, the father was willing to sell off his flat. His business in India was not doing well, and he had a loan of ₹2 crore on his hands.Luckily, according to Aditya, his elder son finally managed to land a US job and got picked in the H-1B lottery. His salary is not high, but he no longer has to depend on his father.“Luckily, in the recent lottery, elder one got picked, got a full time job and while the salary is low, at least he’s able to make ends meet,” the entrepreneur said.Terming it a “a terrible situation to be in”, Aditya said there are tens of thousands of Indian students (and parents) in the same boat now, with more joining in each year.He advised Indian parents to reconsider sending their children to the US if they do not have the means to do so. He also called for compassion in such cases instead of passing judgment.“It is easy for us to pass judgment sitting here, but it is quite difficult for the young kids – caught between a market which no longer has a lot of entry jobs available, and a big loan back home that keeps growing,” said Aditya.