United States President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that required companies to pay a fee of $100,000 per year for each application under the H-1B visa programme.
A statement released by the White House explained, “The proclamation restricts entry for aliens as nonimmigrants to perform services in specialty occupations in the H-1B programme unless their petition is accompanied by a $100,000 payment.”
The announcement prompted intense debate on X, where many users highlighted the policy’s potential consequences, particularly for Indian technology professionals who form the majority of H-1B visa holders. India was reported to have accounted for 71 per cent of approved beneficiaries in the last financial year, while China ranked second with 11.7 per cent.
One individual wrote, “It's crazy to see this, but with jobs shrinking for new grads, I think the US needs it. The consequences will be great for India. I personally know great engineers on H-1B visas who can build great things. Still, they were just working for an American company in Silicon Valley, probably no more now with this uncertainty.”
Another argued the measure was aimed directly at India, saying, “Since Trump couldn’t deter India directly, he’s now weaponising policy. The $100,000 annual H-1B fee disproportionately hits Indian professionals, who make up 70% of these visas. This is not reform, it’s a barrier aimed at weakening India’s global tech edge. The next target could be our IT sector itself. India must recognise this as economic warfare and prepare counter-measures urgently.”
Reactions on the platform were blunt. One user described the development as “Shocking news for Indian techies!” Another commented, “Indians just got nuked.”
While much of the discussion expressed alarm, some voices suggested the change might ultimately favour India. A contributor posted, “The hike in H-1B visa fees isn’t a setback for India, it’s a setback for the US tech industry. In fact, it could be a blessing in disguise for India, if GoI and industrialists step up to create world-class tech ecosystems here, harnessing the same young minds that would otherwise migrate to US.”
Another message observed, “If the US H-1B annual fee of $100k stays, and I hope something like this sticks, it could be one of the biggest tailwinds for Indian growth. Of course, it is at a personal level difficult for those students/professionals who were betting on the US, and I empathise with them. With the US more generally turning against all kinds of immigration (exceptions aside), this could be a huge blow to US growth going forward. As I always say, America’s main export is the dollar and main import is talent. Immigration is the one thing Communist China could never cultivate for its own socio-political reasons.”
That user went on to outline suggestions for India’s immigration framework: “India, on the other hand, will not only benefit from bigger GCCs due to fewer H-1Bs (onsite work value is overstated in today's age) – we must also soon create our own reasonable permanent residence (PR) and eventually naturalisation pathways for foreign talent, whether or not they are diasporic in nature. Even dual citizenship can be eventually considered (Israel uses it well) so long as a DC cannot hold any elected office/sensitive position (but they can vote). The other citizenship should not be that of an enemy nation and Indian law must see this as a differentiated, less ironclad tier unlike having only Indian citizenship.”
They added, “We must have various economic and/or educational cut-offs along with written signed declarations of loyalty to India’s united, ancient civilisational heritage as well as modern constitutional principles. Of course there is a long way to go with economic growth, urban governance, ease of living etc but creating even a basic PR framework and rolling it out will take some time. We want smart, well-meaning people to be invested in India – with their sweat, their money, their emotions. With a democracy fast approaching a billion and a half and the most soul-deep diverse society on Earth, India can and should take in some talent from all corners of the world in the coming decades.”
Another user questioned the obsession with H-1B visas, writing, “An average Indian would think, why is H-1B visa such a big issue, it’s mostly brain drain, people studying in subsidised colleges here moving abroad in their prime years to pay taxes and build stuff in a foreign country, mostly staying sub-servient, building no clout to affect policy for their native country. Remittances dry up post one generation. How’s this such a big bargaining chip? Real estate prices go up in top metros especially tech capitals. GCC jobs will shoot up. Overall good for India, funnily bad for US.”
The proclamation also justified the change by pointing to alleged misuse of the programme. It said, “The H-1B nonimmigrant visa programme was created to bring temporary workers into the United States to perform additive, high-skilled functions, but it has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labour.”
It continued, “Information technology (IT) firms in particular have prominently manipulated the H-1B system, significantly harming American workers in computer-related fields. The share of IT workers in the H-1B programme grew from 32 per cent in Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 to an average of over 65 per cent in the last five fiscal years.”
The order concluded, “The entry into the United States of aliens as nonimmigrants to perform services in a specialty occupation is restricted… except for those aliens whose petitions are accompanied or supplemented by a payment of $100,000.”
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