For generations, marrying an Indian living in the United States was seen as a path to security, prosperity, and prestige. But that long-held aspiration is fading fast. Tighter U.S. immigration policies under President Donald Trump—particularly the clampdown on H-1B skilled-worker visas—are reshaping not only the job market but also the marriage landscape in India.
Nineteen-year-old medical student Sidhi Sharma from Haryana grew up dreaming of marrying someone working in the U.S. and settling there. She abandoned that idea after seeing recent headlines about the administration’s immigration squeeze. “Trump has shut the door for me,” she said.
Matchmakers, academics, and families say they’re witnessing a clear shift: Indian families are becoming more hesitant to marry their children to partners living in the U.S. because of the growing risk that they may lose their visas, jobs, or residency status. “Immigration policies may be written in Washington, but their ripple effects are seen at dinner tables of Indian families when they’re talking about marriages,” said Anuradha Gupta, founder of the bespoke matchmaking service Vows For Eternity.
India has the world’s largest overseas population in the U.S., including around 2.1 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), historically considered top marriage prospects. But since returning to office in January, Trump has implemented sweeping immigration restrictions, including efforts to limit legal pathways to residency. Indians, who accounted for 71 per cent of H-1B visas issued last year, have been disproportionately affected.
Traditionally, marrying an NRI in the U.S. was seen as a ticket to financial stability and upward mobility. Many families also relied on remittances and support from relatives settled abroad. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 75 per cent of H-1B visas granted to Indians in 2024 went to men—many of whom became sought-after matches.
Vanaja Rao, who has run a matchmaking business in Hyderabad for nearly five decades, says demand for NRI grooms has dropped sharply. “We’ve started to see a slowdown ever since Trump took over, and it intensified in the last six months,” she said. “After the recent chaos and curbs on H-1B, there’s more panic.”
Some families are even postponing weddings. An Indian living in Atlanta told Reuters that three weddings in his circle were delayed due to immigration uncertainty. Experts say these trends mirror Trump’s first presidency, when H-1B restrictions and proposals to bar spouses from working also shook the marriage market, before being reversed by Joe Biden.
The impact extends to students. In 2024, there were 422,335 Indian students in the U.S. Many now view the “American Dream” as less attainable, given the new legal hurdles.
Matchmaking platforms are adapting. Premium platform Knot.dating introduced a “U.S. visa filter” to allow families to screen suitors by their immigration status. “Families want to see the visa status of the suitor or match from abroad before proceeding,” said CEO Jasveer Singh. Since launching the feature in September, 1,000 NRIs have signed up, 60 per cent of them on H-1B visas.
For many families, a U.S. salary remains a powerful draw. Knot.dating requires male users to earn at least ₹5 million ($56,000) annually—a figure far above typical salaries in India. But the growing uncertainty has led some clients to look toward Canada, the U.K., Europe, and the Middle East for potential matches.
“When families consider marriage, factors like mobility and security are deeply embedded in their decision-making,” said Gupta. “It’s about long-term stability, not just for themselves but for future generations as well.”
The result is a profound cultural shift: for many Indian families, the U.S. visa is no longer a “passport to love,” but a source of anxiety and hesitation.