‘Afraid of our talent’: India hits back against Trump’s H1-B visa fee hike
India has strongly criticized former US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a steep $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, describing the move as disruptive to skilled Indian professionals and their families. Indian officials, including Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, suggested that the hike reflects a fear of Indian talent and urged Indian professionals to innovate within India.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs highlighted concerns about potential humanitarian consequences due to family disruptions and underlined the importance of talent mobility in fostering innovation and economic growth between the two countries. Industry voices in India have warned that the exorbitant fee could make the H-1B visa economically unviable, severely impacting Indian IT companies that rely heavily on the program for sending skilled workers to the US.
This fee hike has also prompted anxiety in the Indian technology sector, with stock declines seen in major Indian IT firms and concerns over project disruptions and increased operational costs.
India’s response and key points:
India is studying the full implications of the $100,000 fee and expressed hope for dialogue to address concerns.
The Indian government and industry emphasized the mutual benefits of skilled talent exchange and innovation between India and the US.
Piyush Goyal stated the global fear of Indian talent and promoted local innovation in India as a positive takeaway.
The hike could cause serious operational challenges for Indian IT firms due to the massive increase from prior fees.
The fee applies only to new visa applications, not current H-1B visa holders or renewals, but still threatens future talent flow.
The move has been criticized as potentially crippling the US tech talent pipeline, where Indians represent a large majority of H-1B visa holders.
This pushback represents a significant diplomatic and economic response to what India views as a harsh immigration policy change targeting its skilled workforce.
