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Trump’s Census plan could exclude H-1B workers, Indian students: What it means
US Census proposal could exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2030 count, potentially reshaping political representation and federal funding.
FULL ARTICLE · The Indian Express World
3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Sep 16, 2026 10:15 PM IST
The US Census Bureau submitted the proposal about a year after President Donald Trump directed the agency to draft new rules. (AI-generated image)
The Trump administration has proposed a major overhaul of the 2030 US Census that could exclude undocumented immigrants, and potentially some temporary legal residents, including people on work and student visas, from the population count used to determine congressional representation.
The US Census Bureau submitted the proposal about a year after President Donald Trump directed the agency to draft new rules for the next census that would block illegal immigrants from being counted. The bureau is scheduled to conduct the next full census in 2030, Reuters reported.
Census proposal targets undocumented immigrants
The US Census Bureau’s proposal, which the Commerce Department oversees, aims to exclude undocumented immigrants “whose legal status is less durable and indefinite in length than lawful permanent residence status.”
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Proposal
US Census 2030: What Trump wants to change
A new administration proposal seeks to drastically alter who gets counted in America. Here is a breakdown of the planned overhaul.
1
Exclude non-permanent residents
The proposal would exclude non-citizens who do not have permanent residency (Green Cards) from the population count used to determine congressional representation.
Remove demographic questions
The plan also seeks to remove questions on race and ethnicity—which have been collected for centuries—and prevent the survey from asking about sexual orientation.
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Millions could be excluded
The proposal to tie the apportionment count to permanent legal residency targets specific groups of current US residents:
- Undocumented immigrants
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- People on temporary work visas
- International students
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Why Indians should care
The changes carry massive implications for Indians living in the US on temporary visas. Though their exact treatment is still seeking feedback, the baseline proposal excludes them.
At Risk of Exclusion:
▸ H-1B Workers: Thousands of Indian tech and specialized professionals.
▸ International Students: A massive cohort of Indian citizens studying at US universities.
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Shifting political power
The census dictates more than demographics. Excluding millions of residents alters the political representation and resources allocated to states with large immigrant populations.
435 US House Seats
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Electoral College Votes
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Congressional District Boundaries
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Federal Funds Distribution
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Why would the proposal exclude immigrants without green cards?
The Census proposal justifies the act of excluding immigrants without green cards, or permanent residency status, as those individuals have insufficient ties to the United States in order to qualify as “true inhabitants” or have a “usual residence” to be counted in the census.
Impact on House seat calculations
The Census Bureau has clarified that it’ll stop counting undocumented immigrants for House seats, stating that it has counted foreign citizens for a long time to determine how many House seats each state deserved. The proposal, however, highlighted several legal hurdles and opposition within the Trump administration’s first tenure to counting undocumented immigrants.
Census questionnaire could also see changes
It is expected that the census might remove questions related to race, sexual orientation, and ethnicity from its questionnaire. The US Supreme Court had blocked the effort by the Trump administration to add a citizenship question in the form during the Republican leader’s first tenure.
H-1B visa holders, refugees could be excluded
The effort could “uproot centuries of practice” and leave communities with larger immigrant populations with insufficient federal aid, said Meeta Anand, senior director of the census at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, USA Today reported.
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Anand further told the US-Based news outlet that “It excludes, for instance, visa holders, H1B visa holders, it excludes refugees, it excludes asylees, it excludes people with temporary protected status, and it excludes undocumented immigrants.”
Nischai Vats is a Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. His work primarily covers US politics and visa and immigration policy, alongside broader international developments, with an emphasis on accuracy, verification, and clear explainers. Experience Nischai joined The Indian Express in May 2024 where he works on writing, editing, and refining high-impact stories for digital platforms. His role involves ensuring editorial consistency, factual accuracy, and clarity in coverage of complex policy-driven subjects. Earlier in his career, he worked across Indian digital newsrooms in reporting and editing roles, including stints at Inshorts, Newslaundry, Tiranga TV, and Catch News. His newsroom experience spans rapid digital publishing, ground reporting, and copy editing across national, civic, and policy beats. Expertise His core areas of focus include: US politics and governance: Coverage of American political developments, executive actions, and policy shifts. US visa and immigration policy: Reporting and editing stories on visa categories, regulatory changes, and immigration pathways affecting global audiences. Editorial accuracy and copy editing: Ensuring clarity, language precision, and verification in fast-paced digital news environments. Authoritativeness and trustworthiness Nischai's journalism is grounded in verified sources, official documentation, and clear attribution, in line with The Indian Express’ editorial standards. His background across reporting and editing enables him to translate complex policy updates into reliable, reader-friendly coverage. ... Read More
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