Visa crackdowns cripple Punjab and Haryana's immigration industry

A wave of stringent visa policies from Australia and the United States, combined with aggressive crackdowns on fraudulent applications, has plunged the immigration industry in the states of Haryana and Punjab into chaos.

- NEERAJ MOHAN

Once-thriving visa consultancies in cities like Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Mohali, Patiala, Gurugram, Karnal, Kurukshetra, and Ladwa are now ghost towns, with business down by up to 60% in 2025, according to the Punjab Immigration Consultants Association.

Thousands of aspiring students, workers, and families now face shattered dreams, while agents grapple with financial ruin and legal scrutiny.

Ground research revealed that the immigration industry is going through its worst period in recent years, with countries like Australia, the USA, the UK, and Canada — once top destinations — tightening their visa rules.

"This industry witnessed a boom in 2021 and 2023 as thousands of students from small towns like Ladwa in Kurukshetra district migrated to Australia, the UK, Canada, and the USA. But in the past year, the number of student visas has declined drastically," said a visa consultant at a private coaching centre in Kurukshetra, which claims to have sent around 10,000 students abroad over the past decade.

"With Australia and Canada imposing stricter conditions, we are now focusing on Europe, especially Germany," she added.