H-1B Visa News LIVE: Doctors and medical workers such as physicians and medical residents, could be exempted from the United States' new visa rules, according to a White House spokesperson. This came after multiple prominent medical bodies highlighted the risk to rural America amid a dearth of providers.
“The Proclamation allows for potential exemptions, which can include physicians and medical residents. Ultimately, the Trump Administration defers to the language in the proclamation,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Bloomberg via email.
The US from September 21 has hiked the fee for the high-skilled H-1B visa applications from $1,00,000. The wording notes that application fees can be waived if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that the hiring of these workers on an individual basis, or to work for a specific company or industry is “in the national interest.”
The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, the report added. And it is not yet clear if doctors and medical residents will be able to secure an industry-wide exemption or if they will have to seek exemptions on a case-by-case basis.
The H-1B programme grants 65,000 visas each year to employers hiring temporary foreign workers in specialised fields, along with an additional 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees.
The H-1B visas are granted for a period of three to six years, according to a report by Reuters.
The H-1B visa fee, which was previously around a thousand dollars will now be increased to $100,000. This means, employers who are seeking to bring an Indian employee to the US will have to pay nearly 90 lakh rupees.
The hiked $1,00,000 H-1B visa fee came into effect on September 21 for a period of one year. It could be extended further, if the US government determines that is in the interest of the country. Almost all visa fees must be paid by employers.
Stay tuned with Livemint for latest coverage on the new H-1B visa fees!
India's equity benchmarks, which have logged four straight sessions of losses, are likely to open little changed on Thursday as concerns over foreign outflows and US visa curbs could keep investors cautious.
Gift Nifty futures were trading at 25,071 points as of 07:18 a.m. IST, indicating that the benchmark Nifty 50 will open near Wednesday's close of 25,056.9.
The 50-stock index has lost 1.4% in the last four sessions.
The Trump administration's plan to dramatically raise fees for H-1B visas is drawing concern from US healthcare groups who say the move could worsen staffing shortages as more than half of healthcare workers consider changing jobs within the next year, Reuters reported
In a scathing attack on the government, the Congress on Wednesday claimed that it has caused the "collapse" of India's foreign policy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "huglomacy" has backfired, leaving the country "diplomatically isolated" and unable to secure its national interests.
In the backdrop of Trump administration's imposition of high tariff on India and actions on H-1B visa, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said foreign policy is not conducted on the basis of personal friendships, as per a report by PTI quoting sources.
“Immigration has always been and will continue to be a very politically charged topic,” said Paul Argenti, professor of corporate communication at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. “Wading into these waters carries incredible reputational risk, which is why companies don’t do it.”
(Bloomberg)
Businesses are taking a cautious “wait-and-see” approach to avoid drawing the ire of the Trump administration, according to Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City.
Wylde said the president has left the business community “spooked” over any public criticism of his policies. She noted that the concern extends beyond immediate costs, highlighting broader uncertainties about the United States’ role in the global economy.
(Bloomberg)
H-1B Visa News LIVE: Amid a hike in the H-1B visa fee, which is likely to impact Indian nationals the most, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon stated that the US ought to be India's best friend, regardless of its non-alignment stance.
"India is a great friend of America. I know it is non-aligned, and it should stay non-aligned, but with that non-alignment, we should be their best friend," CNBC-TV18 quoted Dimon as saying on the sidelines of the bank's 10th Annual India Conference.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: One of the most affected industries by the visa fee hike is Information Technology (IT) as tech workers make up one of the largest groups of H-1B visa recipients. Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) industries rely heavily on the H-1B program to employ skilled foreign workers. Around two-thirds of H-1B jobs in STEM are in computer-related roles.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: Trump said in the proclamation, “the H-1B nonimmigrant visa programme was created to bring temporary workers into the United States to perform additive, high-skilled functions, but it has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labour."
H-1B Visa News LIVE: Under Project Firewall, employers are required to prioritise hiring qualified Americans and will face accountability if they misuse the H-1B visa process.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: Former Nasscom Chairman BVR Mohan Reddy told PTI that US President Donald Trump’s decision to raise the H1-B visa fee to $ 1,00,000 annually presents substantial cost challenges for Indian IT companies and is likely to cause disruptions in the short term. He also mentioned that this move could encourage Indian IT firms to speed up local hiring in the US.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: The initial registration period for the 2027 financial year H-1B cap is likely to open around March next year. Last year, there was a $215 H-1B registration fee for each registration submitted on behalf of each beneficiary.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: On Wednesday, IT stocks declined for the third consecutive day as the sharp increase in US H-1B visa fees continues to impact investor confidence, reported PTI. Mastek Ltd shares fell by 3.42%, Infobeans Technologies decreased by 3.41%, Wipro by 2.06%, Tech Mahindra by 1.30%, Tata Consultancy Services by 0.86%, and Infosys by 0.24% on the BSE.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: The United States grants 85,000 H-1B visas annually through a lottery system. India accounts for roughly three-quarters of the recipients. Major technology companies depend on Indian workers who either relocate to the United States or move frequently between the two countries.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: PM Modi said, “Today, India is moving forward with the spirit of 'Vishwabandhu'. Duniya mein koi hamara bada dushman nahi hai. Agar hamara koi dushman hai toh woh hai dusre deshon par hamari nirbharta (We have no major enemy in the world. Our biggest enemy is our dependence on other countries)."
“This is our biggest enemy, and together we must defeat this enemy of India, the enemy of dependence. We must always reiterate this,” PM Modi said.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: The White House clarified via social media that the fee is only for new applicants and does not affect current visa holders' ability to travel to or from the United States.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: The Trump administration's proposal to significantly increase H-1B visa fees has raised concerns among US healthcare organisations, warning that this could lead to staffing shortages as over half of healthcare workers are contemplating changing jobs within the next year, reported Reuters.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: Gautam Mukunda, a Yale scholar criticized the fee hike, arguing it jeopardises America's advantage in attracting top talent from around the world, particularly IIT graduates from India, who are in high demand in other countries. Read here
H-1B Visa News LIVE: California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the H-1B visa changes will have an "adverse impact' on California, which has relied on the visa program for years to help drive innovation, reported Bloomberg.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: Attorney General Rob Bonta criticised the Trump administration for implementing a $100,000 application fee for the popular H-1B visa program for skilled workers. He stated that this fee causes “uncertainty and unpredictability”, news agency Bloomberg reported.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: Bringing an Indian employee to the US with an H-1B visa may cost approximately 90 lakh rupees.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: The H-1B visas are reportedly given for a period of three to six years.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: The fee applies to those entering the US. The orders says, it will prioritise high-skilled and high-paid aliens. However, there is no clarity on what that means.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: Amazon.com and its cloud-computing unit, AWS, had received approval for more than 12,000 H-1B visas, while Microsoft and Meta Platforms had over 5,000 H-1B visa approvals each by the first half of 2025.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second at 11.7%, according to government data.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: The H-1B visa programme offers 65,000 visas annually to employers bringing in temporary foreign workers in specialised fields, with another 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees.
H-1B Visa News LIVE: The H-1B programme grants 65,000 visas each year to employers hiring temporary foreign workers in specialised fields, along with an additional 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees. Almost all visa fees must be paid by employers.
One of the most affected industries by the visa fee hike is Information Technology (IT) as tech workers make up one of the largest groups of H-1B visa recipients.
Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) industries rely heavily on the H-1B program to employ skilled foreign workers. Around two-thirds of H-1B jobs in STEM are in computer-related roles.
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Apple were among the companies that employed the most H-1B visa holders last year.
The H-1B program allows companies to hire foreign workers with specialised skills for up to six years in the US which led to critics arguing that it is misused by recruiters to bring in workers at wages lower than what companies would have to pay US employees.
They believe that this practice was taking away jobs that would have otherwise gone to Americans, Al Jazeera said in a news report.
“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,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Friday.
Several market analysts believe that the hike in H-1B visa fees from the current $1,500 could impact the operations and financial performance of Indian IT companies. However, the direct effect of the shock is expected to be limited.
Secondary factors like uncertainty around near-term deal wins may also weigh on IT stocks.
“Several Indian IT majors derive a significant share of their revenues from the US market. The Trump administration’s recent overhaul of the H-1B visa regime, imposing a steep one-time fee of $100,000 per application compared to the earlier annual $1,000 fee, has sparked concern across the sector. Given that Indian nationals accounted for nearly 71% of approved H-1B visas in 2024, the policy shift appears, at first glance, to impose a substantial financial burden on Indian IT firms deploying talent onsite in the US,” Sugandha Sachdeva, the founder of SS WealthStreet told Mint.
Trump has directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to restrict decisions on H-1B visa petitions filed by individuals currently outside the US if they not accompanied by a $100,000 payment. The order will remain in effect for a period of 12 months after the move comes into effect.
“The Secretary of Homeland Security shall restrict decisions on petitions not accompanied by a $100,000 payment for H-1B specialty occupation workers under section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) of the INA, who are currently outside the United States, for 12 months following the effective date of this proclamation as set forth,” the order said.
However, the rule applies only to new applicants, The New York Times has reported quoting an unnamed White House official.
The Donald Trump administration is seeking to overhaul the selection process for the H-1B visa system days after the US President imposed a sweeping $100,000 fee for the visa, mostly used by Indian tech workers. Read more
The Trump administration released a proposal on Tuesday that would rework the H-1B visa selection process to favor higher-skilled and better-paid workers, according to a related Federal Register notice, a move that follows a White House proclamation on Friday introducing a $100,000 fee for the visas.
Industry experts expect that the new $100,000 visa fee may push US-based companies towards remote hiring, while limiting on-site roles for foreign workers in the United States.
“The recent hike in the H-1B visa fee will likely boost remote hiring from India, as many multinational firms may prefer hiring skilled talent on a remote basis. While navigating the changing immigration laws, this shift will also provide increased access and employability opportunities for Indian tech professionals within such firms,” Ritu Sethi, Partner, Technology at ABC Consultants, told Mint.
Due to the $100,000 H-1B visa fee, some companies are now considering moving more jobs overseas to offset the impact.
The steep visa cost from an earlier fee of a few thousand dollars has already forced companies to pause and re-evaluate their recruitment, budgeting and workforce plans, Reuters reported.
This may prove to have an opposite effect of what Trump administration envisioned while increasing the H-1B visa fee, which was to protect jobs in America.
The Trump administration proposed to revamp the H-1B visa selection process on Tuesday, prioritizing higher-skilled and better-compensated foreign workers, according to a Federal Register notice.
Under the proposal, if H-1B visa demand exceeds the statutory annual limit of 85,000, then applications from employers offering higher salaries would be favoured in the lottery process.
Shortly after US government announced the H-1B visa fee hike on Friday, big companies such as Microsoft, JPMorgan and Amazon advised their employees with H-1B visas to remain in the United States or return before the September 21 deadline if they are elsewhere.
The companies issued this advisory as there was little clarity over who falls under the ambit of the new $100,000 H-1B visa rule.
However, later it was clarified that the hiked visa fee does not apply to existing holders or those seeking renewal.
The $100,000 visa petition fee has to be paid by the companies who want to secure the H-1B visa for their employees.
This has prompted companies in Silicon Valley to consider offshoring, a Reuters report said.
The $100,000 H-1B visa fee does not apply to renewals.
It only applies to new visas and not current visa holders, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in her post on X.
The $100,000 fee does not apply to foreign professionals in the US who already have the H-1B visas.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt clarified that the rule doesn't apply to H-1B visa holders currently outside the US. They can re-enter the US without any fee.
Shortly after the announcement of the H-1B visa fee hike, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt clarified that the $100,000 charge for the program is not an annual fee.
This is a one-time fee that applies only to the petition, she said in a post on X which clarified the doubt that caused panic in the talent hiring industry.
In a statement to PTI, Attorney Navneet Chugh said Indian professionals comprise approximately 72 per cent of all approved H-1B visas, making them the “backbone" of America’s strategy to address talent shortages in critical STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
He added that they “fill gaps” in areas where domestic talent supply consistently falls short of demand. Chugh underlined that H-1B workers and their families inject approximately $86 billion annually into the US economy through wages, consumption, and investment.
Indian American Impact strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s $1,00,000 fee on H-1B visas, saying that “chaotic” rollout sparked panic among professionals abroad working or visiting family with medical emergencies.
The proclamation “is not about protecting American jobs; it is about weaponising immigration policy to advance a xenophobic agenda. By targeting H-1B holders, Trump is both sabotaging our economic future and fuelling discrimination against Indian Americans and all immigrant communities across the country,” Executive Director of Indian American Impact Chintan Patel said in a statement.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC-TV18 that he believes in merit-based immigration and that the US should have good immigration.
In another interview with the Times of India, Dimon said that JPMorgan will engage with stakeholders and policymakers on the H-1B visa issue. "The challenge is that the US still needs to remain an attractive destination. My grandparents were Greek immigrants who never finished high school. America is an immigrant nation, and that's part of its core strength," Dimon stated.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said the US should be India's best friend despite New Delhi's non-alignment policy.
"India is a great friend of America. I know it is non-aligned, and it should stay non-aligned, but with that non-alignment, we should be their best friend," CNBC-TV18 quoted Dimon as saying on the sidelines of the bank's 10th Annual India Conference.
Dimon said he hopes India and the US will resolve their ongoing trade issues as a solution would be good for both parties.
Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, on September 22 stressed the importance of Washington’s partnership with New Delhi during a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
He said the two countries would “continue working together to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including through the Quad”.
As per an official statement, "Secretary Rubio, reiterating that India is a relationship of critical importance to the United States, expressed his appreciation for the Indian government’s continued engagement on a number of issues including trade, defense, energy, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, and other items related to the bilateral relationship
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on September 22 on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly meeting, and discussed a range of bilateral and international issues of “current concern”.
Notably, this meeting comes amid Donald Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports to the US, and the H-1B visa fee hike which is set to impact many Indian workers in the country.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon told TOI that the company “is in talks with policymakers and stakeholders” with regards to United States President Donald Trump's $1,00,000 fee for new H1-B visa applications.
“For us, visas matter because we move people around globally, because we move people around globally — experts who get promoted to new jobs in different markets,” Dimon told the paper.
The stay of families of H-1B visa holders in the the US is directly tied to the status of the H-1B holder.
The White House in a social media post clarified that the fee only applies to new applicant and “does not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to/from the United States”.
The proclamation also allows for case-by-case exemptions if in the national interest, it added.
