Tarhub Asghar
BBC Urdu – reporting from New York City

As Election Day approaches, fears about immigration policy are growing among some U.S. voters of Pakistani descent.

In an interview with BBC, Muhammad Yaseen shared: “I came to this country in 1981. It's been 44 years, but I still feel that if Donald Trump becomes president, he will no longer allow our relatives to come here.” Although I am a US citizen, I was treated like one during his previous term Treated as second class citizens.”

The fear is so deep-rooted that even Pakistani and Indian students choose not to speak out on the issue because they believe expressing their opinions could jeopardize their future visa approvals.

Meanwhile, people currently navigating the immigration process fear there could be delays in their applications.

Ayesha, who came to the US as a student and decided to stay after getting a good job offer, is still waiting for her green card after eight years.

“The process of obtaining citizenship is long and arduous, and if the US president decides to impose immigration restrictions, it will be frustrating for people like us,” she said.