Highlights:
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Indian families are taking on large education loans to fund US degrees
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Tighter visa scrutiny and fewer jobs are leaving students in prolonged limbo
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Parents are absorbing financial pressure to shield their children
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Delays in H-1B approvals are forcing Indian families to consider selling assets
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What once promised opportunity now carries higher financial risk
For decades, the United States has symbolized upward mobility for Indian families. Many parents have been willing to make significant sacrifices, selling land, mortgaging homes, and exhausting savings to finance overseas education. The expectation was clear. A US degree would lead to well-paying jobs, long-term visas, and eventual stability for the entire family.
That assumption is now being tested.
Indian families face changing realities in the US
With stricter visa scrutiny, a cooling job market, and policy shifts under President Donald Trump’s second administration, many Indian students and their families are finding themselves caught between expectation and reality. Financing higher education abroad has become more uncertain, particularly for those relying on post-study employment to repay large loans.
The human impact of this shift came into focus through a recent post on X by Vishakhapatnam-based entrepreneur Aditya, who shared the experience of a close friend facing financial collapse after betting heavily on his sons’ American education.
Indian entrepreneur takes on massive education loans
According to Aditya, the father, a small business owner with limited financial reserves, borrowed around $180,000 in education loans to send both his sons to the United States for master’s degrees. The plan depended on the assumption that both graduates would find jobs and transition smoothly onto H-1B work visas.
That did not happen.
Months turned into years without stable employment or success in the H-1B lottery. During this period, the sons relied on part-time work and financial support from home. Over time, policy changes restricted student employment opportunities, forcing them to give up campus jobs and increasing their dependence on family remittances.
Monthly support rose sharply, from about $1,200 per child to nearly $2,400. Interest on the loans continued to accumulate. By the time the family fully grasped the situation, the total debt had climbed beyond $240,000.
Indian households absorb the financial shock quietly
Back in India, the father’s business began to struggle under the weight of loan repayments and foreign remittances. With few options left, he started preparing to sell his apartment, the last major asset standing between the family and insolvency.
Relief came late and only in part. The elder son was selected in the most recent H-1B lottery and secured a full-time job. The pay, Aditya noted, was modest by US standards but sufficient to stabilize the family’s immediate finances.
“It is a terrible situation to be in,” Aditya wrote, adding that tens of thousands of Indian families are facing similar circumstances, with more entering the system each year.
Indian students and the narrowing H-1B pathway
For many years, the H-1B visa served as a predictable transition from US campuses to professional careers, particularly for Indian graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Indian nationals consistently account for a majority of H-1B applications, making the visa central to education planning decisions.
That pathway has narrowed. Entry-level job openings have declined, rejection rates have increased, and processing timelines have stretched. As a result, families are forced to continue sending money abroad while waiting for uncertain outcomes or face the prospect of returning home with unmanageable debt.
Indian parents shield children from financial strain
The emotional cost of this uncertainty often remains unspoken. Parents frequently reassure their children that everything is under control, even as loan balances rise and assets are placed at risk. Students, meanwhile, carry the burden of knowing that their family’s financial future depends heavily on their ability to remain employed abroad.
What was once promoted as a reliable route to global mobility increasingly resembles a high-risk financial decision. Aditya’s post does not assign blame. Instead, it urges empathy and caution.
His message to Indian families considering expensive overseas education loans this year is straightforward. Pause. Reassess. Carefully weigh the risks before committing to financial obligations that may no longer be matched by opportunity.
As US policies evolve and job markets remain uncertain, the Indian dream of American education is not disappearing, but it is changing. For many families, the cost of that dream has never been clearer.
