Trump's blow to H-1B work visa; annual fee raised to $100,000

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has imposed an annual fee of $100,000 (over Rs 88 lakh) for H-1B worker visas, creating serious concern among Indian IT professionals. The rule will take effect at 9:30 a.m. IST today.

The fee must be paid by U.S. companies hiring foreign workers on H-1B visas. Until now, the fee was only $5,000–$6,000, but it has now been raised sharply to $100,000. Companies like Microsoft, JPMorgan, and Amazon have instructed H-1B employees to remain in the U.S. Those outside must return before 9:30 a.m. IST today.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. companies to employ skilled foreign professionals. The steep fee hike will severely affect small tech firms and startups.

Trump argued that some employers had misused the program to cut wages, negatively impacting American professionals. Supporters of Trump often claim that Indians and Chinese are taking away American jobs through H-1B visas.

This year, Amazon and Amazon Web Services received approvals for 12,000 visas, while Microsoft and Meta received 5,000.

71% of H-1B visas go to Indians

1. 71% of H-1B visas go to Indians, followed by China with 11.7%.
2. A total of 85,000 visas are issued annually across two categories.
3. The visa is valid for three years and can be renewed for another three.

Trump’s goals

1. Prioritise the hiring of American workers.
2. Tighten immigration and allow only highly qualified foreign professionals.

“This will affect many professionals, but the matter is being studied. We hope U.S. authorities will make necessary adjustments,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

“U.S. companies should train their own citizens. Jobs here should not be filled by bringing people from outside,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.