India is stepping up its efforts against the Trump administration’s new $100,000 H1-B visa fee. The ordinance enacting this fee went into official effect on Sunday. The H1-B visa program allows foreign workers in specialized fields to work in the United States temporarily. This is particularly critical in industries such as information technology (IT), healthcare, and engineering, which have domestic shortfalls. H1-B visa holders currently account for 65% of IT professionals in the country. This fee increase has set off alarm bells in India, the country which received 71% of all H1-Bs approved in 2024.
The new fee is ridiculously, ridiculously, high – 60 times what new H1-B visas cost. The financial burden doesn’t end there because even those with a valid visa granting entry stamped in their passport are met with barriers. Future travelers can’t step foot into the U.S. unless they provide evidence of the $100,000 payout. Newcomer’s Transition wikis This requirement has raised alarm and confusion among new visitors and current foreign nationals alike.
In light of this development, Nasscom, India’s IT trade body, expressed its worries, stating that the fee increase would “potentially have ripple effects on America’s innovation ecosystem” and could create “considerable uncertainty for businesses, professionals, and students across the world.” In India, immigration attorneys were hit with a wave of panicked weekend calls. Naturally, folks were uncertain about what exactly this new policy would look like in terms of enforcement.
Indian officials have responded with urgency. Revanth Reddy, the leader of Telangana’s opposition party and former chief minister of Telangana, demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the crisis immediately. He predicted that the fallout for Indian IT workers in the America would be “unimaginable.” The external affairs ministry echoed these sentiments, noting that the fee would have humanitarian consequences “by way of the disruption caused for families.”
Reacting to the increase in fees, Piyush Goyal, India’s commerce and industry minister said, “It’s because they’re maybe a little afraid of our talent, too I think.”
“They are also a little afraid of our talent. We have no objection to that.” – Piyush Goyal, India’s Commerce Minister
The abruptness of the move has triggered a storm of outrage and despair among Indian nationals in possession of H1-B visas. Most importantly, many of them went to social media to make clear their opposition. As one person put it, it’s time to acknowledge that we all have the power and the grind. Unfortunately, in this period of unrelenting immigration policy mayhem, we sometimes feel more like a small grain of sand. Another referred to the state’s actions as a travel ban. This designation underscores the awful emotional burden it has placed on families who had established their lives on these job prospects.
With this announcement, panic erupted among current visa holders and new applicants. At the same time, industry advisors and legal counsel scrambled to adjust to the state’s new policy framework. Millions of skilled Indian professionals were left dangling in uncertainty, worried for their futures. They have poured years of education and professional development into becoming integral members of the U.S. workforce.
“People are really starting to question if they can continue to build their lives in the US because there’s such a high level of uncertainty around everything now.” – Anonymous Indian Worker
The fiscal effects have already started to be felt, as evidenced by the ongoing collapse in Ford’s stock price. Even the largest Indian IT firms, such as Infosys and Tata Consulting Services, experienced double digit falls in their shares. This decrease was in immediate response to the H1-B visa fee hike.