New US H-1B visa fee could disrupt Indian IT operations, says industry body

By Haripriya Suresh

NEW DELHI (GWN) -Imposing a new $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa purposes could disrupt the global operations of Indian technology providers firms that deploy expert professionals to the United States, India’s IT industry body Nasscom said on Saturday.

The White House announced the new fee on Friday, prompting some major U.S. tech corporations to advise visa holders to either stay in the nation or return there rapidly. The new fee marks Washington’s most high-profile attempt to overhaul the nation’s short-term employment visa system.

Nasscom, representing India’s $283 billion IT and business course of outsourcing industry, said the abrupt rollout of the coverage would influence Indian nationals and disrupt continuity of ongoing onshore initiatives for the nation’s technology providers corporations.

The industry body said the one-day deadline for the new coverage created “considerable uncertainty for businesses, professionals, and students across the world.”

It also said the new coverage could have “ripple effects” on the U.S. innovation ecosystem and on global job markets, stating that for firms, “additional cost will require adjustments”.

Microsoft, JPMorgan and Amazon responded to the announcement by advising staff holding H-1B visas to stay in the United States, according to inner emails reviewed by GWN.

Since taking workplace in January, President Donald Trump has launched a broad crackdown on immigration, including efforts to restrict sure types of legal immigration.

(Writing by Sarita Chaganti Singh; Editing by Hugh Lawson)