A lot has changed in the USA after Donald Trump became the President and his selection has also made a considerable impact on the marriage market of India. Trump’s anti-migrant attitude was clearly visible in his speeches and then, he brought an executive order on immigration which was, however, put on a stay by the court and a proposal was brought by him to reduce the H1B work visa programs which are used by many young Indian men who go to the USA for the purpose of studying or working.
The Marriage Bureaus of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have noticed a dip in the demand of Indian men based or working in America after Trump became the President. There is no data available at present but it is certain that after the killing of an engineer in Kansas recently, the demand for USA-based grooms will further lower.
A large number of Indians from Andhra Pradesh migrate to the USA every year and this statement is strengthened by the data released by the US Embassy which shows that most of the student visas are issued by Hyderabad consulate in India and if we talk about the whole world, then Hyderabad consulate stands fifth.
The MD of a Hyderabad-based marriage bureau, Dayakar, said, “Trump’s [immigration clamp down] decision has not only affected the job security of Indian techies working in the US, it has also affected the marriage of NRI [Non-Resident Indian] grooms. At present, parents of girls prefer grooms from software companies based in India over NRIs, which used to be the other way round till just a few months back.”
Dayakar also said that parents who wanted NRI grooms for their daughters have now kept the NRI matches on hold as they want to see what changes Trump will bring in immigration policies.
Not only this, they have also admitted to shift their searching criteria. Subramanyam Sharma from Hyderabad, father of a 25-yr daughter, says, “I used to search for NRI matches [in the US], but I rejected 10 such matches after Trump’s rule.” He has also asked his relatives to stop searching for America-based grooms for their daughter till Donald Trump is the President.
In the same manner, Ravi Reddy (55) was also looking for an America-based groom for his daughter but now he says, “I would prefer to give my daughter to grooms from any other place like Singapore, Australia – anywhere other than the US.”
Same goes with the father of a 22-yr girl, Purnachandra Rao, from Hyderabad. He says, “NRIs in USA don’t have job security now. After marriage they won’t be able to take my daughter along with them because of the rules laid down by Trump. So what is the point in getting married to a groom working there?”
There is also a chance of NRI marriages getting further late as Neelima, a marriage bureau employee, tells, “Normally NRIs marry very late. On an average, the minimum age of the NRI who is ready for marriage will be around 30 years. It takes another one or two years by the time they get married. Because of this effect [Trump’s anti-immigrant policies] it will get even more delayed.”
However, the young Indian males are confident about their future in the US. One young Indian, Chalapathi Rao (30), has been working with the Health department of the USA for the last five years and is looking for a bride for the last six months. In the beginning, the responses were good but now there has been a drop yet Rao is not worried as he tells, “I have a Greencard and work permit and I am employed with the US government. So there is no problem for me with regard to working in the US. My job is secure and there is no need to worry.”
What does future hold for these NRIs? Share what you think with regard to this in the comments section below.