2018 outlook for the H1B worker in Trump's America.

What new shocks will 2018 bring for India’s temporary workers in Trump’s America?

The answer rests on two legs: Which rung of the temp worker caste system you’re talking from and whether you’re taking a 30 year view of immigration in America or a longer one.

On the political side, with the Mueller investigation on the verge of crossing Trump’s red line, issues like immigration may become just the what the doctor ordered for an embattled White House to distract and deflect attention, like it has happened several times since Trump’s ascent.

“The H1B story has moved on. Many of those who came here in the early 90s are citizens and their kids are leading cutting edge work in the Valley, Trump doesn’t make a difference to them,” says Girish, a New York based techie who moved from an H1B to a green card and now free to take up any manner of employment in the lean periods - something which those on "skilled worker" visas cannot do.

What Girish says makes sense for those who have cut and run from the H1B hamster treadmill. For the steady stream of 60-85,000 H1B workers coming in every year, Trump will continue to matter.

Over a year in office, Trump’s settled into a fairly predictable pattern with his tone on outsiders. Although the fine print of the Buy American Hire American executive order has barely a few lines on reviewing the H1B’s efficacy, Trump’s political talk on outsiders seeks to blur the line between immigrants, illegals and non-immigrants. The issue, implicit in the Donald Trump / Steve Bannon pitch, is not whether outsiders are in the country legally; it’s that they are in the country at all.

The H1B is a non immigrant visa with an initial 3 year limit which can be extended subject to employment conditions requiring a longer stay.

But all this matters little to the white resistance against America’s changing palette.