The United States’ proposed overhaul of the H-1B visa programme, including the proposed $1,00,000 fee for new applicants, could still be open to negotiation if India and the United States finalise a trade agreement, former US Ambassador to India Tim Roemer has indicated.
In an interview with NDTV, Roemer warned that President Donald Trump’s tightening of the H-1B system was complicating bilateral ties but added that “once trade talks make progress, the H-1B issue will be revisited.”
The H-1B programme is the backbone of Indian tech firms’ access to the US market, and the proposed fee would hit skilled workers and students especially hard. Indian officials have already said they are evaluating the measure’s impact.
Visa policy as a bargaining chip
Asked directly whether the visa fee could become a negotiating point, Roemer drew a parallel with Trump’s imposition of a 25 per cent additional tariff on India “as penalty” for buying Russian oil. “It was a negotiating point to get people back to the table, to get the negotiations back on track, to try to make progress on a trade deal,” NDTV quoted him as saying.
Roemer noted that India has concluded trade agreements with the UK, Israel and Australia, and argued that the US has its own incentives in technology, manufacturing and clean energy to rethink its visa policy. If negotiations fail, he suggested, there are other channels: US courts could rule that the administration has overstepped its authority, or Congress might “reassert its power over immigration policy and say ‘we are the ones that set the number of H-1B visas… We want to take back our power, and we are going to have something to say about US-India relations’.”
Skilled migration benefits both sides
Roemer also stressed that admitting high-skill Indian nationals benefits the US economy. “They often spawn jobs, launch successful businesses (‘unicorns’), and help build stronger ties between the two countries,” he said. Citing a Duke and University of California study, he recalled that “almost 25 per cent of new jobs in technology are created by these students, who become CEOs.”
New Delhi has raised humanitarian concerns as well. “Skilled talent mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in the United States and India,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. “This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families. Government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities,” it added.
White House seeks to calm panic
As anxiety spread after Trump’s announcement, the White House moved to clarify key details. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated: “To be clear: 1.) This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition. 2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter. H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation. 3.) This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders. It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle.”
By explicitly framing the fee as a one-time charge for new petitions only, the administration sought to temper fears among existing H-1B holders. But for Indian students and tech workers hoping to enter the US, the policy still represents a formidable new barrier unless trade talks produce a breakthrough.
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