Yale scholar slams Donald Trump's H1B visa move, says 'every country would kill to get best IIT graduates'

Donald Trump’s executive order introduced an annual $100,000 application charge for H-1B visas.

Yale scholar Gautam Mukunda criticised United States President Donald Trump’s decision to introduce a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, warning that the move would undermine America’s long-standing advantage in attracting international expertise.

Mukunda described the measure as “economically unsound” and argued that it would reduce the United States’ ability to draw highly qualified professionals at a time when other countries are competing vigorously for the same pool of talent.

He stressed that top graduates from institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are in high demand globally, and suggested that Washington was discarding a key advantage without justification. “Every country in the world would kill to get the best IIT graduates. But America is throwing this asset away for no reason. This H1B visa decision makes no sense at all,” Mukunda said.

The academic also remarked that senior figures in American industry were displeased with the policy but had refrained from expressing their concerns publicly due to fears of political retaliation. He suggested that the move appeared more symbolic than substantive, describing it as a distraction rather than a genuine policy reform.

"Every country in the world would kill to get the best IIT graduates. But America is throwing this asset away for no reason. This H1B visa decision makes no sense at all," says Yale scholar Gautam Mukunda pic.twitter.com/nd4XqKX2P2

— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) September 23, 2025

Reactions to his comments surfaced on social media, with one user on X (formerly Twitter) writing: “It’s wild because the US literally benefits from decades of India’s investment in education, then turns away top talent when it’s time to reap the rewards. The irony is that those same grads end up fuelling innovation back home or in competing economies.”

Another contributor remarked: “Bro, calm down, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Apple, etc, are trillion-dollar companies and they will pay a premium for the IITians.”

Economists have also raised concerns that such a steep increase in costs could damage the United States’ economic prospects. They pointed out that technology companies depend heavily on skilled international workers, particularly from India, and that a restrictive visa regime risked discouraging engineers, coders and scientists from joining the American workforce. This, they cautioned, could have long-term consequences for competitiveness and innovation.

At present, a significant proportion of leading American businesses are headed by Indian-origin executives, including Google, Microsoft and IBM. In addition, Indian doctors account for nearly six per cent of the US medical workforce.

Trump’s executive order introduced an annual $100,000 application charge for H-1B visas. The programme, which allows US companies to employ foreign professionals in specialised fields such as technology, engineering and finance, grants visas for an initial period of three years, with the possibility of renewal up to six years.

Each year, the United States issues 85,000 H-1B visas: 65,000 for general applicants and a further 20,000 for individuals with advanced degrees from American universities. Indian nationals account for around 70 to 72 per cent of those awarded visas.

The Trump administration stated that the fee was intended to reduce reliance on foreign workers and encourage the hiring of domestic employees.