US President Donald Trump’s executive order to raise the H-1B visa fee to $ 1.00,000 has caused significant concerns among technical companies. A Visa consultant said Indians lost the most after the US’s move The fee previously about a thousand dollars is now increased to $ 100,000, a move that will hit the Indian workers hardest, said Ani Bikram Chabhal, president of the Visa and IELTS Centers Association. The H-1B program offers approximately 65,000 visas to employers who bring temporary foreign workers into specialized fields annually, and another 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees, including India, were the largest beneficiary with a 71% share of approved beneficiaries. Visa consultants are concerned about the impact Chabhal noted that 70% of H-1B visa holders are Indians, followed by Chinese citizens. “Previously, the total fee was $ 215, plus another $ 750. That now means eighty-eight Lakh plus in Indian Rupees,” he told Ani. He further added: “I believe these businesses will have to struggle a lot in the future. If a company has to pay a fee of one lakh dollar each year, companies will not be able to afford that much money.” Chabhal emphasized that Indians lose the most after this move. “The biggest disadvantage of this seems to be for Indians, as Indians used to go on this visa … After receiving the visas, they would then obtain green cards and become American citizens. It would significantly affect them,” he noted. Despite the negative short -term impact, he spoke of the future prospects, and he suggested that the policy shift can indirectly help India. “In the future, it will benefit India more, because if specific workers return to India, they will be able to do something good for India. However, America will not find specialized workers in America …” he said. Why did we rise the visa fee? Chabhal’s remarks came when US trade secretary Howard Lutnick announced details about the new H-1B visa visa fee during a press conference, describing the decision as a strategy to get rid of lower skilled training positions while retaining opportunities for highly competent workers. “An enterprise that wants to buy an H-1B visa … that’s $ 100,000 a year,” Lutnick explained. The visa maintains its current structure: three years with one possible renewal for a total of six years. The fee, which applies to all H-1B positions, regardless of the salary or skill level, is designed to only make the program viable for roles that justify such a substantial cost. “You will no longer place pupils on an H-1B visa-it is no longer economical. If you are going to train people, you will train Americans,” Lutnick said. Implications for the Indian IT sector This sudden change is expected to significantly affect Indian IT services such as Infosys, TCS and Wipro. Meanwhile, Nasscom in the industry said the US’s move will affect India’s technology services companies, as business continuity will be disrupted for country that may require ‘adjustments’. “While we are reviewing the finer details of the sequence, the adjustments of this nature may have ripple effects on America’s innovation ecosystem and the broader work economy,” the Apex body said. Nasscom also marked concerns about the timeline for implementation on September 21 for implementation, saying that a one -day date creates significant uncertainty for businesses, professionals and students around the world.
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