Indian asylum seekers in US grew eightfold between 2020 and 2023: Study

The number of Indian citizens seeking asylum in the United States grew eightfold between 2020 and 2023, according to a new study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University.

The number rose from 6,000 asylum seekers in 2020 to 51,000 in 2023.

The study, Unauthorized Indians in the United States: Trends and Developments, by Abby Budiman and Devesh Kapur, was published on February 10.

Budiman and Kapur relied on data from government and non-government sources to map trends related to undocumented Indian migrants living in the US.

The US grants asylum to persons fleeing persecution or other harm in their home countries. The persons are required to undergo a “credible fear screening” conducted by an asylum officer and if they pass it, they are permitted to present their asylum case in an immigration court.

The researchers cautioned that they could not accurately determine the states of origin and religion of Indian asylum seekers. “However, available information on the languages spoken by asylum seekers can provide some evidence to this puzzle,” the study states.

Budiman and Kapur found that since 2001, Punjabi speakers consistently emerged as the largest group of Indian migrants seeking asylum in the US.

“Between FY [financial year] 2001 and 2022, two-thirds (66%) of asylum cases involving Indian nationals were filed by Punjabi speakers,” stated the study….

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