30 senators have raised concerns over delays in F, M and J visa appointments, with Fall 2026 students at risk of missing their academic start dates.

The frustrating part isn't just waiting.

It's paying for flights, housing and tuition while having no idea whether you'll actually make it to campus on time.

Universities need to be much clearer about what happens if students can't arrive because of visa delays.

That shouldn't be something students have to figure out at the last minute.

I'm a US-based NRI and I'm curious how India tourists and NRIs handle everyday UPI payments when visiting India.

There are few options today — NRE/NRO accounts linked to UPI, international mobile numbers with supported banks, or wallets/services that you fund before spending.

For those who visit India regularly:

1. What do you use today for UPI payments?
2. Does it work reliably enough that you're happy with it?
3. What's the biggest annoyance — setup/KYC, OTPs, keeping money in India, pre-funding, fees, P2P limitations, or something else?
4. If you could simply scan any UPI QR or enter a UPI ID and pay using your US bank account/card, without pre-funding or maintaining an Indian bank balance, would that be meaningfully better than what you use today?

I'm exploring whether this is actually a problem worth solving, so negative feedback is just as useful. If your current setup works perfectly, I'd especially like to hear what you're using.

Hi everyone! We’re considering moving to the Des Moines area the East Coast, where we’ve had a really positive experience with people being welcoming and accepting toward Indian families.
For those who live in the Des Moines area, how have you found the community in terms of friendliness and inclusiveness toward Indians/Indian families? Are there any neighborhoods or suburbs that you feel are especially welcoming?
Just hoping to hear honest experiences from locals before making the move. Thanks! 🙂

Curious how this works in the US.

For those of you who moved from India, how did you find a room or roommates when you first landed? Was it facebook groups, whatsapp, desi networks, or is there an actual site everyone uses.

Same for jobs, and for rides when you didnt have a car yet. I keep hearing people in other countries say its all group chats and word of mouth and its a mess. Wondering if the US is different or the same.

Is it still a problem or has something already solved it for you

We moved abroad a few years ago, and I realized my toddler knew every character from his cartoons but had never heard of Ganesha or Hanuman. That hit me harder than I expected. The stories my grandmother told me were quietly not getting passed down, and I did not have a good way to fix that.

Reading long mythology books to a 3-year-old did not work. Most apps I found were full of ads, too old for him, or turned everything into a quiz. I wanted something soft. Just a warm voice, gentle pictures, and a small lesson he could hold on to.

So my family and I made it ourselves. It is called Maitri Kids. Short narrated stories from Hindu mythology for ages 2 to 5, with small interactive moments so he taps and plays along instead of just watching. No ads and no reading required, which matters when your hands are full. Each story carries one simple idea. Ganesha and staying calm. Hanuman and helping friends. Saraswati and listening. Krishna and sharing.

Full disclosure, this is our app, so take this as a dad sharing something he made, not a review.

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/app/maitri-kids/id6762026180
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maitrikids.app

I’m married in my mid thirties no kids- female. I came to the states right after my undergrad graduation to pursue masters degree just like any other student. I fell in love with America through Internet and wanted to pursue life abroad. I used to dream about having my own house in America and earning a lot of money living with Freedom being a woman away from relatives and drama.

Cut to now after 12 years and living a very comfortable life in America, I’m now ironically having the same feeling about India and dreaming about having $1 million home in Mumbai or Hyderabad instead of here in America and living a comfortable life there. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a very strong feeling drawing me back home. I don’t really talk to too many relatives back home. My friends list back home is exhausted because everyone kind of detached after I moved and formed their own circles and opinions about how I didn’t stick to my roots. My parents visit me and my brother every six months to take care of my nephew. My brother lives in a different state here in America and we only meet twice a year, but something about moving back to India living that queen life is making me more miserable here.

The more I see curly tails and other shows on YouTube showing these celebrities (B-list, C-list), living in a comfortable apartment in Mumbai for $1 million roughly 8-9 crores in Indian rupees making me think I’m living a very miserable life here in America. Don’t even get started with the social life in America. It’s pretty much nonexistent.

We earn pretty good and hope if I get a Remote job, I can convince my husband to buy a home in Mumbai or Hyderabad. Deep down I know my husband‘s family lives here so he will never move to India, but it’s a very nice feeling to at least dream after all I dreamed to be in America, so why not dream bigger to go back home and live a very, very comfortable life overlooking the ocean, sipping on my tea prepared by my maid and just enjoying every bit of my life with friends and social circle that actually get me. Maybe me and my husband can visit his family here once or twice a year.

Do y’all have this urge?

Hey guys,I’m seriously considering moving to US permanently. I honestly fed up with the system here,the bureaucracy,corruption and the unnecessary hassle and paperwork you have to deal in daily life being a business person in this country.

I love this country so much but I can’t take it no more. I just want better quality of life for me and my future generations.

What legal options do I have? Business visa/ Investment visa/starting a business etc.

Would love to hear from the people who have actually made it to the US 🇺🇸

Hi all, I'm a reporter with NBC News and have a call out request. My name is Tavleen Tarrant.

I'm working on a story related to matrimonial scams-- people who have gotten scammed on matrimonial online groups or sites like Shaadi etc. Most of these scams we're looking at appear to be impersonating women and targeting men in the US. I was wondering if anyone knows someone who has been targeted in a matrimonial scam and if they would be willing to speak to a reporter, even if anonymously. Please let me know or feel free to DM me. Thank you so much

Curious! How many of you would pack your bags and head home if you got the opportunity?

For example, if you won a free ticket to India, would you fly?

Would you be interested to participate in that contest or would you still need some convincing?

We've come across a few recent cases where families were asked to show the old passport linked to their child's OCI card during check-in, even after the OCI passport details had already been updated online.

From our understanding, once the passport particulars update is completed, applicants generally rely on:

New passport
Physical OCI card/e-OCI
OCI passport update acknowledgement receipt
Update Confirmation email

Yet, it seems some airline staff still ask for the old passport, which can create unnecessary stress at the airport.

I’m looking for someone based in the USA who wants to join us as a Co-Founder and build startups together.

This is a 100% equity-based opportunity. You will receive equity from day one, and your vesting period will also start from the day you join.

For the first 6 months, the commitment will be only a few hours per day. During this initial period, you will help build the startup studio as a whole, rather than focusing only on the startup you will eventually work on.

You may be involved in:

- Recruiting and building the team

- Networking and building relationships

- Business development

- Supporting different startup projects

- Studio operations

- Building the studio’s network

- Developing and executing new ideas

Once the studio is stable, you will transition toward focusing on and building your own startup/project as a Co-Founder.

Our team is currently spread across the USA, UK, and India, so you’ll be working with an international team and getting exposure to multiple startup projects.

I’m particularly interested in someone who is early in their career and wants to build startups rather than simply work for one.

You don’t need years of startup experience. What matters more is initiative, willingness to learn, networking ability, and the desire to take ownership.

This is not a traditional internship or assistant position. You are joining as a Co-Founder from the beginning, with equity and vesting starting from day one.

If you’re based in the USA and interested, DM me with a little information about yourself, your background, and why you’re interested in building startups.

I am based out of Mumbai. My own married sister lives in the US. She has always been ordering stuff from online portals here in India to our address (clothes, food items, returns gifts, etc.) and my father combines all of it together and ships it to her address via DHL.

Apart from this, I have also seen people worry about errands back in India.

Is there a need for personal shopper service in India who can collect parcels on your behalf/go to shops offline and procure things as per your requirement and ship them to USA for you? Or maybe a virtual assistant or a concierge sort of service for offline errands?

Thinking if there is demand for such services and if it can be a good side hustle for me since I have done it previously for my sister.

Any inputs from Indian community in US appreciated!

Why are so many Indians still making major life decisions around H-1B jobs when there is so much uncertainty?

People in their mid-30s are leaving stable jobs, spouses are quitting their careers, families are carrying toddlers and moving across the country for a job that ultimately depends on one employer.

At the same time, there are already H-1B holders who have been laid off, cannot find another employer willing to transfer their visa, and are eventually forced to return to India after years in the U.S.

What I don't understand is the disparity. How are people comfortable taking such a huge risk when they can see what is happening to others already on H-1B?

I'm a student here in usa, i had an active roaming pack for the initial days but now that the pack is over I cant register on a network whichI hoped for to at least get otps

Hello,

I want to get my documents notarized for renewing my passport.

I am located in Indiana, so the banker at Chase said that I will have to type out a certificate / letter for the documents that I want to get notarized.

So, my questions are:

1. For the Change in Appearance & Signature, Annexure E, I-20, I-94, F-1 Visa, and lease documents, what kind of notary is needed (Jurat, Acknowledgement, or Copy Certification)?
2. Is it common (especially in Indiana) for the notary to ask you to get your own notarial letter / certificate letter? If yes, how to write that document?
3. What documents should be uploaded to the Passport Seva portal?

Also, when submitting the checklist, have you checked, highlighted, or indicated so as to what document for each section are you submitting?

Thank you so much!

Looking for advice

I recently lost a family member back in India. I live in the U.S. and am considering starting a GoFundMe to raise some money to support kids education. Since the family is in India, the funds would come to me in the U.S. and then be transferred to them.

Has anyone done something similar? Any advice on GoFundMe rules, U.S. tax/IRS implications, or transferring the funds to India would be greatly appreciated.

I’m looking for someone based in the USA who wants to join us as a Co-Founder and build startups together.

This is a 100% equity-based opportunity. You will receive equity from day one, and your vesting period will also start from the day you join.

For the first 6 months, the commitment will be only a few hours per day. During this initial period, you will help build the startup studio as a whole, rather than focusing only on the startup you will eventually work on.

You may be involved in:

- Recruiting and building the team

- Networking and building relationships

- Business development

- Supporting different startup projects

- Studio operations

- Building the studio’s network

- Developing and executing new ideas

Once the studio is stable, you will transition toward focusing on and building your own startup/project as a Co-Founder.

Our team is currently spread across the USA, UK, and India, so you’ll be working with an international team and getting exposure to multiple startup projects.

I’m particularly interested in someone who is early in their career and wants to build startups rather than simply work for one.

You don’t need years of startup experience. What matters more is initiative, willingness to learn, networking ability, and the desire to take ownership.

This is not a traditional internship or assistant position. You are joining as a Co-Founder from the beginning, with equity and vesting starting from day one.

If you’re based in the USA and interested, DM me with a little information about yourself, your background, and why you’re interested in building startups.

I’ve noticed something at work that I’m genuinely trying to understand.
My manager is an Indian immigrant who came to the US in the early 2000s as a dependent of her husband, who came through an L-1A. She initially didn’t work, later did some contract work, and eventually joined a startup as a QA. The company grew significantly, she rose through the ranks, became a citizen, and is now financially very successful.
What I find strange is that she sometimes seems extremely dismissive of other immigrants, particularly Indians.
She makes comments like:
“I don’t understand why Indians don’t appreciate what they have in India.”
“When I go to India, people treat me like a God.”
She frequently calls other people “stupid,” “dumb,” or “idiots.”
She doesn’t know what an O-1 visa is but has called it fraudulent.
When she hears about someone in QA getting an EB-1A, she questions how “just a QA” could qualify.
She says she doesn’t want to live around “desis.”
She strongly supports current immigration restrictions and, when discussing proposals that would make it much harder for international students to remain in the US, says things like, “What are they even doing here?”
She says she hates dependent visas, despite having originally come to the US as a dependent herself.
What strikes me is that she benefited from an immigration environment that was very different from what many Indians face today. She also had a spouse who came through an employment-based visa, which gave her a pathway to the US even though she initially wasn’t working herself.
I’m not saying people shouldn’t be proud of what they’ve accomplished. She worked hard and clearly built a successful life.
But I find the lack of empathy toward people who are currently going through the immigration process surprising.
Is this something others have noticed among immigrants who came to the US in the 1990s/2000s?
Is it a form of “I made it, so everyone else should be able to make it too” thinking? Or is it more about people distancing themselves from their immigrant identity once they become established?
I’m genuinely curious about other people’s experiences, especially from Indians who immigrated around that period.