Tighter US immigration rules are making Indian families think twice before arranging marriages with relatives living in the United States, matchmakers and experts say.Sidhi Sharma, a 19-year-old medical student from Haryana, had hoped to marry an Indian citizen with a high-paying US job, but abandoned the idea after recent headlines about President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“I had always dreamed of settling in the U.S. after marriage,” she said. “Trump has shut the door for me.”Families are concerned that potential partners may lose their jobs or visa status, particularly under changes to the H-1B skilled-worker visa. Indians account for the majority of H-1B holders, with 75% issued to men in 2024.“Immigration policies may be written in Washington, but its ripple effects are seen at dinner tables of Indian families when they’re talking about marriages,” Anuradha Gupta, founder of matchmaking service Vows For Eternity told Reuters.The US hosts the world’s largest Indian diaspora, including 2.1 million Non-Resident Indians, many long considered prized marriage prospects. Trump’s visa overhaul has hit these families hard, slowing interest in NRI grooms and causing some weddings to be delayed.“Up until last year, there was a lot of demand and craze for NRI suitors,” said Vanaja Rao, managing director of Vanaja Rao Quick Marriages. “We’ve started to see a slowdown ever since Trump took over, and it intensified in the last six months. And of course, after the recent chaos and curbs on H-1B, there’s more panic.”Some Indian students are also reconsidering the ‘American Dream,’ with 422,335 studying in the US in 2024. Premium dating platform Knot.dating mandates that male users earn a minimum of 5 million rupees ($56,332) annually, while placing no income requirement on female users. KP Singh from overseas education consultancy IMFS noted that this amount is “astronomically higher than what a fresh graduate or professional typically earns in India, that’s equivalent to many years’ worth of income here.” “This US salary offers a level of financial security many here can only dream of,” Reuters quoted the consultant as saying.Meanwhile, matchmakers are adapting to the changes. Knot.dating added a ‘US visa filter’ to show visa status before arranging matches. “Families want to see the visa status of the suitor or match from abroad before proceeding further,” said CEO Jasveer Singh.With US opportunities becoming uncertain, some Indian families are now looking to Canada, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East for potential spouses. “When families consider marriage, factors like mobility and security are deeply embedded in their decision-making,” said Gupta.
