High-Skilled Immigrants Organizing in the US: A Case of Indian Tech Workers

Immigrants have been recognized as a revitalizing force of labor movements globally, and also in the US—the largest destination country for migrants. Labor unions, worker centers, and various immigrant organizations have been instrumental in mobilizing immigrants and their families in the US. However, in the literature on immigrant workers’ movements, attention to “high-skilled” immigrants’ participation and contribution remains woefully limited (see Roy 2022). In this paper, I will discuss Indian tech workers’ activism in the US.

The US started welcoming skilled immigrants since 1965, and in 1990 introduced the H-1B visa program, which brings mostly tech workers, other than doctors, lawyers, academics and other high-skilled professionals in high-income jobs. Indian workers have the highest representation (almost 70% in 2023) in this visa category since 1990. Other visas like F-1 OPT and L-1 which also supply skilled foreign-born labor to the US, Indian nationals have significant representation. These workers hold elite class positions with a median income of approximately US$ 120,000. Yet, some recent studies have highlighted their precarious conditions including underemployment, underpayment, travel restrictions, family separation, and surveillance (Banerjee 2022; Purkayastha and Roy 2023).

Adding to these insights, I will discuss how Indian immigrant tech workers in the US pursue rights and solidarity, and seek protection for their families and their jobs. My research is based on 30 in-depth interviews with Indian tech workers and activists of three immigrant organizations in the US. I also draw on over years of ethnographic fieldwork, and virtual ethnography on social media and messaging platforms.

References

Banerjee, Pallavi. 2022. The Opportunity Trap. NYU Press.

Purkayastha, Bandana, and Rianka Roy. 2023. “Hidden in Plain Sight: Neutral Enclosures for High-Skilled Immigrants during COVID-19.” Sociological Forum 38(4): 1176-1197.

Roy, Rianka. 2022. “Immigrant Workers’ Movements in the US: Where are High-skilled ‘nonimmigrants’? Sociology Compass.