Published: 9:10pm, 23 Sep 2025Updated: 9:17pm, 23 Sep 2025
US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an up to fifty-fold increase in the cost of skilled worker permits under the H-1B visa programme has rattled India’s tech industry, which has provided highly qualified manpower and services to American enterprises for decades.
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On Friday, Washington announced that the H-1B fee would be raised to US$100,000, from a range of US$2,000 to US$5,000 previously, based on the manpower strength of the company applying for the visa.
The H-1B is a three-year renewable work visa programme that economists say has helped American companies stay competitive and grow their business.
Workers from India have consistently accounted for the majority of approved H-1B applications in recent years, many of whom were skilled engineers. India accounted for 71 per cent of approved H-1B applications last year, compared with second-placed China at 11.7 per cent, according to US government data.
The initial announcement on the visa changes caused confusion and chaos, with some Indian passengers on board aircraft wanting to cancel their flights home, fearing the higher visa costs and travel restrictions.
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While the White House later clarified that the fee would apply only to new applicants and was a one-off cost, its move has cast a pall over Indian tech firms, as many would-be applicants may not be able to work in the US due to the higher visa fee.