The Indian Panorama

Tag: H-1B visa

  • Trump signs Executive Order Imposing $100K Annual Fee for H-1B Visa Applications

    Trump signs Executive Order Imposing $100K Annual Fee for H-1B Visa Applications

    The Trump administration also plans to launch a $1 million gold card visa for wealthy foreigners

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): In a move that could adversely impact Indian professionals on visas in the U.S., President Donald Trump on Friday, September 19, 2025, signed a proclamation that will raise the fee for H1-B visas to a staggering $1,00,000 annually, the latest in the administration’s efforts to crack down on immigration.

    White House staff secretary Will Scharf said the H-1B non-immigrant visa programme is one of the “most abused visa” systems in the country’s current immigration system, and it is supposed to allow highly skilled laborers, who work in fields that Americans don’t work in, to come into the United States.

    The Trump administration said that the $1,00,000 fee is aimed at ensuring that the people being brought into the country are “actually very highly skilled” and do not replace American workers.

    The move is aimed at protecting American workers while ensuring that companies have a pathway to hire “truly extraordinary people” and bring them to the United States. Companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants.

    “We need workers. We need workers. We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen,” Mr. Trump said, as he signed the proclamation in the Oval Office in the presence of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

    Mr. Lutnick said that historically, the employment-based Green Card programme let in 2,81,000 people a year, and those people earned $66,000 a year on average and were five times more likely to participate in assistance programs of the government.

    “So we were taking in the bottom quartile, below the average American. It was illogical; it was the only country in the world that was taking in the bottom quartile,” Mr. Lutnick said.

    “We are going to stop doing that. We’re going to only take extraordinary people at the very top, instead of those trying to take jobs from Americans. They’re going to create businesses and create jobs for Americans. And this programme will raise more than $100 billion for the treasury of the United States,” he added.

    Mr. Trump said that the country will use that amount to cut taxes and pay down debt. “We think it’s going to be very successful,” he said.

    Mr. Lutnick added that the fee of $1,00,000 will be charged annually.

    The move is going to significantly impact Indian technology workers who are hired by tech companies and others on H1-B visas. The visas are valid for three years and can be renewed for another three years.

    If a company sponsors an employee for the Green Card, the visas can be renewed till the permanent residency comes through. However, Indians on work visas in the U.S. are caught in a decades-long wait for Green Cards and the new move could have an impact on whether they can continue to stay in the US if their companies decide not to pay the $1,00,000 fee annually now required to retain the visas.

    “So the whole idea is, no more will these big tech companies or other big companies train foreign workers. They have to pay the government $1,00,000, then they have to pay the employee. So it’s just not economic. If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land, train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs. That’s the policy here. And all of the big companies are on board. We’ve spoken to them about it,” Mr. Lutnick said.

    Mr. Trump said that the tech companies “love it. They really love it. They really love it. They need it”.

    “The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in.” Mr. Trump also signed an executive order entitled ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for foreigners of extraordinary ability who are committed to supporting the United States.

    Under the Gold Card programme, individuals who can pay $1 million to the U.S. Treasury, or $2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, will get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card in the country.

    “We’re taking in hundreds of billions of dollars. The Gold Card will be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars, and companies will be able to keep some people they need. They need people of expertise, great expertise. I think it’s going to be a fantastic thing, and we’re going to take that money and we’re going to reduce taxes, we’re going to reduce debt,” Mr. Trump said.

    When asked if the new $1,00,000 fee will apply to the H1-B visa holders already in the country, to renewals or to those applying for the first time from abroad, Mr. Lutnick said, “Renewals, first times, the company needs to decide. Is that person valuable enough to have $1,00,000-a-year payment to the government, or they should head home and go hire an American.

    “It can be a total of six years, so $1,00,000 a year. So either the person is very valuable to the company and America, or they’re going to depart and the company is going to hire an American. That’s the point of immigration — hire Americans and make sure the people coming in are the top, top people. Stop the nonsense of letting people just come into this country on these visas that were given away for free. The President is crystal clear. Valuable people only for America. Stop the nonsense,” Mr. Lutnick said.

    On whether the technology CEOs, who hire foreign workers on H1-B visas, are concerned about the new move, Mr. Trump said they’re going to be very happy.

    “Everyone’s going to be happy. And we’re going to be able to keep people in our country that are going to be very productive people. And in many cases, these companies are going to pay a lot of money for that, and they’re very happy about it,” he said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • H-1B visa cap for FY 2024 reached, successful applicants informed: USCIS

    H-1B visa cap for FY 2024 reached, successful applicants informed: USCIS

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): In a statement on Monday, March 27, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it has received enough electronic registrations during the initial period to reach the fiscal year 2024 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption — the master’s cap.

    “We have randomly selected from the registrations properly submitted to reach the cap and have notified all prospective petitioners with selected registrations that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary named in the applicable selected registration,” it said.

    H-1B cap-subject petitions for the financial year 2024, including those petitions eligible for the advanced degree exemption, may be filed with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from April 1, 2023, if based on a valid, selected registration. Only petitioners with selected registrations may file H-1B cap-subject petitions for 2024 fiscal and only for the beneficiary named in the applicable selected registration notice, the USCIS said.

    The US Congress has set the current annual regular cap for the H-1B category at 65,000. Of this, 6,800 visas are set aside under the terms of the legislation implementing the US-Chile and U.S.-Singapore free trade agreements. Unused visas in this group become available for H-1B use for the next fiscal year’s regular H-1B cap.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Online petition launched to extend grace period for H-1B visa holders to 12 months

    Online petition launched to extend grace period for H-1B visa holders to 12 months

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Amidst massive layoffs in the American tech sector that have resulted in a large number of Indian professionals being jobless, two Indian-American organizations have launched an online petition urging President Joe Biden to extend the grace period of H-1B visas holders from two months to a year.

    This means that once fired from a job, a foreign tech worker on H-1B visas would have one year to find a new job instead of the existing duration of 60 days, after which they have to leave the country.

    The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

    “On behalf of immigrants (from the world, mainly from India and China) as well as naturalized citizens like Indian-Americans, Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies and Global Technology Professionals Association (GITPRO) has submitted an appeal to the President of the United States, the Secretary of DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the director of USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) to extend the current grace period from 60 days to 1 year (minimum 6 months),” the online petition said.

    “We join the appeal and request to sympathetically consider the impact of the families on humanitarian grounds. We believe that this extension will pause this brain drain and ensure that the US will continue to be a world leader in technology and innovation. We also request elected officials to support this extension and if needed introduce a bill in the House of Representatives,” said the online petition that has been signed by more than 2,200 people so far. According to LayoffTracker.com, 91,000 were laid off just in January 2023 and this number may grow in the coming months. This has a huge impact on them, and their families, especially on the H-1B holders who would need to leave the US immediately within 10 days beyond the H-1B grace period, the petition said.

    In addition to the impact on them and their families, this is also a long-term impact on the talent that the US has. For example, 70 per cent of startup founders are immigrants. About 50+ CEOs of public companies are of Indian origin. Hence, the exodus of this talent from the US is harmful for the long-term interests of the US, especially in the modern age of Artificial Intelligence competition, it said.

    “The laid-off H-1B holders currently have about 60 days to find another employer to file for the H-1B transfer or leave the country. During the current economic situation, it would be impossible for these hardworking, tax-paying and talented people to get hired till the economy recovers,” said the petition.

    Meanwhile, a Facebook group of overseas Indians has launched a petition urging the Indian government to hire the laid-off Indian tech workers in the US. “Considering the ongoing layoff situation, we are requesting you to consider hiring the recently laid-off and returning Indian IT workers as consultants as part of the digitization initiatives undertaken by your ministries,” said the letter addressed to Ashwini Vaishnav, the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.

    (Source: PTI)

  • US reaches H-1B visa cap for 2021

    US reaches H-1B visa cap for 2021

    Successful candidates for the most sought-after work visa among foreign professionals, including Indians, will be decided by a computerized draw of lots

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The US has received enough petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for the fiscal year 2021 and successful candidates for the most sought-after work visa among foreign professionals, including Indians, would be decided by a computerized draw of lots.

    The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows the US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

    US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has said it has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa US advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2021.

    Successful applicants would be decided by a computerized draw of lots.

    “We have completed sending non-selection notifications to registrants’ online accounts,” a media release said.

    “We will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap,” it said.

    Petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, and who still retain their cap number, are exempt from the FY 2021 H-1B cap.

    The USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions filed to extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the US and change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers.

    The Biden administration this month announced that it was delaying the H-1B policy of the previous Trump administration on the allocation of the popular foreign work visas by continuing with the lottery system until December 31, 2021, to give the immigration agency more time to develop, test and implement the modifications to the registration system.

    On January 7, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced to do away with the traditional lottery system in deciding the successful applicants for the H-1B visas.

    The Trump-era rule was scheduled to go into effect on March 9.

    (Source: PTI)

     

  • US proposes not to issue business visas for H-1B specialty occupations

    US proposes not to issue business visas for H-1B specialty occupations

    WASHINGTON (TIP) The Trump administration on Wednesday, October 21 announced a rule that will likely curb US companies’ use of skilled foreign workers, particularly in the tech industry, which officials said was necessary to protect American jobs amid mass unemployment triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

    The joint rule from the US Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security will significantly increase the minimum wages companies must pay to workers enrolled in the H-1B visa program. It also will narrow the definition of “specialty occupations” eligible for H-1B visas.

    The rule, which takes effect in early December, will likely face criticism from trade groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce, who say the H-1B program is necessary because of a shortage of skilled American workers.

    More than two-thirds of H-1B visa holders come from India, and they are disproportionately employed by tech firms, according to government statistics.