US President Donald Trump on Friday slapped the $ 100,000 annual application fee on the H -1B visa program, effectively closed the door at tens of thousands of skilled Indian employees, especially in the technology sector, and dealing with a body blow for generations of those whose American dreams were built behind the popular path for citizenship.
Rigid remedies, which would be effective at midnight for 12 months at midnight of September 21 and potentially faced legal challenges, asked technical giants abroad to return to the US before the time limit, triggering flying on Saturdays and airports on Saturdays, often less than 24 hours.
The President’s inauguration is likely to effectively kill the program which is the basis of the prosperity of five million strong Indian migrants in the US. According to US government data, 88 lakhs).
Trump said in the announcement, “H-1 B Nonamigent visa program was designed to bring temporary workers to the United States, which was done to perform the appropriate, high-skilled tasks, but it has been replaced by American workers with low-efficient labor, rather than complementing, instead of complement, to replace it.”
“The misuse of the H -1B program is also a national security threat. Domestic law enforcement agencies have identified and investigated H -1 B -Relant outsourcing companies to engage in visa fraud, to encourage the conspiracy of money… and other illegal activities to encourage foreign employees to enter the United States,” he said.
For generations, thousands of scientists, engineers, doctors, and researchers migrated to the US using the H1B program that started in 1990, created funds and built a bridge between the two countries. Rapid visas and immigration is also an important point of Indo-American bilateral relations, which is already under stress due to a rigid 50% tariff imposed on Indian goods.
“F1 and H-1B programs were the world-level education and sophisticated technology, building networks, and my entrance to my entrance to ultimately keep the roots down. For the dream of Indian-American technology, H-1B is a lifeline. Surely, H-1B is old, but recently $ 100,000 fee, which is completely deciling, which is completely.
According to the Silicon Valley-based immigration lawyer Sophie Alcorn, the decision currently increases the cost of visa from approximately $ 2,000.
Visa companies allow foreign workers to sponsor with special skills to work in the US, initially for three years, but expandable up to six years. The country gives a total of 85,000 H -1B visa prizes per year on a lottery system, with India accounting for about three -fourths recipients.
Large technology firms trust Indian workers who either move to the US or come between the two countries. The largest number of companies with H -1B workers were Amazon, Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google.
Meanwhile, India urged the US to address the disruptive influence of the decision and to address human results. In its first response, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the complete implications of the measure are being studied by the government and other stakeholders including the Indian industry.
The ministry said in a statement, “This measure is likely to have human results through disintegration to families. The government hopes that these disruption can be appropriately addressed by US authorities.”
The Ministry said that skilled talent dynamics and exchange -eminence has contributed a lot to the American and India “Technology Development, Innovation, Economic Development, Competition and Money Creation”. “Politicians will therefore assess recent steps keeping in mind the mutual benefits, including strong people-to-lygs between the two countries,” said this.
The opposition attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanded a response to him.
The announcement states that the ban on admission will only apply to individuals who try to enter or enter the US after September 21, with which major companies are asked to return to the US.
Microsoft and JPMORGAN, after the announcement of the new fees, advised employees having H-1B visas to stay in the US. He advised employees on H -1B visas, who were outside the US before the midnight of Saturday.
“H -1B visa holders who are currently in the US should live in the US and avoid international travel until the government issues clear travel guidance,” read an email sent to JP Morgan employees by Oglutory Dicins, an email that is an company, which handles the visa application for the US Investment Bank.
Immigration lawyers advised workers to stay in the US for now, but warned about the future. “For thousands of Indian technical staff, the proposed fee will probably not force immediate return, but will limit the dynamics of the job and make renewal expensive. Employers H -1B can hesitate to sponsor or maintain, especially initial -career professionals,” Sophie Alacorn, said an immigration lawyer.
To ensure this, confusion believed how fees would be administered and processed.
Asked whether the new fee will already be applicable to the H1-B visa holders in the US, renewal or first time applicants, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik said, “Renewed, the first time, the company needs to decide. Is the person who is valuable to the government who is valued enough to pay $ 100,000 per year, or should go home and go to an American.
“This can be a total of six years, so it can be $ 100,000 per year. So either the individual is very valuable for the company and the US, or they are going to leave and the company is going to use an American. It’s a matter of immigration – rent Americans and ensure that the top, top people are. Stop the people lying in this country.
Whether the CEO of Technology, who appoint foreign workers on H1-B visa, is worried about the new move, Trump said they are going to be very happy. “We have talked to him,” said Lutnik.
The announcement created a hurdle among the US-based IT professionals and Indian-American politicians, who said the step would prevent global talent and throttle innovation.
Virginia’s Indian -origin American legalist Suhas Subramaniam said that Trump’s move is a direct attack on the country’s economy. “A fee of $ 100,000 on all H -1B visas, tomorrow effective. Companies are warning that visa holders are not 24 hours to leave people outside the country or deny risk. This is not an immigration policy. It’s an economic sabotage,” Subramanian said in a post on X.
A Hyderabad software engineer, who works in a Fintech firm in Sunnywell, California, told HT that the move would give a tough competition to Indian professionals.
He said, “An H -1B is valid for three years and has to be extended or transferred often, especially since many Indians get stuck in a long queue for green cards or permanent residences. Employers now find very expensive to sponsor extensions or transfer,” he requested oblivion.
He said that in many cases, the $ 100,000 fee is equal to the annual salary of H -1B visa holders working in US tech firms. He said, “This doubles costs for employers. They may prefer to keep workers in India, locally rented in the US, or simply outsources more jobs in India,” he said.
While the existing H -1B visas for the next -and -a -half years, could not be impressed immediately like themselves, many of their friends were worried that “they may soon have to pack and leave the US as their visa will end soon,” this person said.
The President also unveiled the Trump Gold Card visa program, where for the price of $ 1 million, individuals could find American residence. Businesses can buy a residency permit for $ 2 million per employee, while the cost of a new platinum-level card to be released soon will be $ 5 million and the holder will be allowed to come to the US for 270 days a year without subjugating US taxes on non-American income.
Together, take steps for a new era of immigration in the US, which gives privileges to super rich people, implementing obstacles to low means and leaving jobs from American workers. It historically represented a Yoman change from the US point of view to immigration, which legally welcomed various economic backgrounds coming to the country in search of better life and more freedom.
Nevertheless, the signs of a changing tide were visible from Trump’s main constituency and H -1B program, especially under fire, with the rapidly growing anti -immigration spirit, even from JD Vance.
He said in a podcast in July, “You see big tech firms leaving 9,000 employees and then applying for thousands of foreign work visas – it just does not worry me like this kind of displacement and mathematics … I do not support the companies firing thousands of American workers and then claim that they cannot find talent here,” he said in a podcast in July.
Trump, with his former top alone Elon Musk, historically supported the program, saying he had used it on his assets and is a “believer”. It remains to be seen whether he will change his mind.
