U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a new immigration rule is applied globally and is not specific to India.
The policy change matters because it affects the timeline for thousands [1] of Indian nationals awaiting green cards. While the U.S. government describes the move as a modernization of its migration system, Indian officials warn it may prolong existing wait times.
During discussions in New Delhi on Sunday, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar raised concerns regarding the new rule. He said the U.S. should protect the legal mobility of Indian citizens. The rule appeared in the May 2026 [2] Visa Bulletin.
Rubio said the changes and modernization of the migration system are not India-specific and are applied across the world. This statement comes as Indian officials argue the rule closes a brief window of relief for applicants. The shift reportedly makes the path to permanent residency more difficult for Indian nationals.
India has long sought to address the backlog of green card applications. The current dispute highlights the tension between U.S. efforts to standardize global migration, and India's goal of ensuring its citizens are not disproportionately impacted by systemic changes.
Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar discussed the implications of the rule as part of broader diplomatic engagements. The U.S. said the modernization effort is necessary for the efficiency of the global visa process.
“Changes & modernisation of our migration system is not India‑specific, it is global, applied across the world.”
The disagreement reflects a recurring friction point in US-India relations where U.S. administrative shifts in immigration law clash with the high volume of Indian applicants. Because Indian nationals face some of the longest wait times for green cards due to per-country caps, any 'global' rule change can have a disproportionate impact on this specific demographic, potentially straining diplomatic ties over labor mobility.
