Over 70% of H-1B visa holders are Indian citizens. Its government says Trump jacking the fee to $100,000 is ‘likely to have humanitarian consequences’

India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a response Saturday to President Donald Trump’s choice to impose a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa purposes, warning on X that the transfer may create “humanitarian consequences” by disrupting households, calling for the United States to handle these considerations.

The assertion got here after Trump signed a proclamation Friday imposing the hefty new fee on expert employee visas, which went into impact on Sunday. The coverage represents one of the most dramatic overhauls of the H-1B program in many years, concentrating on a visa class closely relied upon by Indian professionals working in America’s technology sector.

“This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families,” the ministry said in its official assertion. “Government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities.”

The proclamation sparked instant chaos across Indian communities and the global tech industry, with hundreds of H-1B visa holders scrambling to return to the United States before the new guidelines took impact. At San Francisco International Airport, The Independent studies that a number of Indian passengers disembarked from an Emirates flight just minutes before takeoff, because they feared being unable to return to the U.S. under the new coverage. A 3-hour delay ensued.

India has explicit motive for concern about the coverage adjustments: According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Indian nationals account for 71% of H-1B visa recipients, making them by far the largest beneficiary group. Chinese nationals symbolize the second-largest group at roughly 12%. The dominance is even more pronounced in technology roles, where over 80% of computer-related H-1B positions are crammed by Indian employees.

The new fee construction represents a staggering increase from current H-1B utility prices, which vary from roughly $1,700 to $4,500. The Trump administration defended the transfer as crucial to handle “systemic abuse” of the H-1B program and defend American employees.

Major U.S. technology firms moved shortly to reassure staff after initial confusion about the coverage’s scope. GWN studies that Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google—all heavy customers of the H-1B program—issued pressing advisories clarifying the $100,000 fee applies only to new visa petitions, not current holders or renewals. The White House later confirmed that current H-1B visa holders can continue to journey in and out of the United States as before.

According to federal data, Amazon at the moment has the highest quantity of H-1B visa holders at over 10,000, adopted by Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services, with roughly 5,500. Other major beneficiaries embrace Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google, each with over 4,000 H-1B visa holders. But Alan Patricof, the private-equity investor and founder of Greycroft Partners, told the NYT, “there is not a single company that I have invested in the last 10 years that could afford to pay this.”

The coverage comes amid broader tensions in U.S.-India relations following Trump’s imposition of punitive tariffs on Indian exports earlier this 12 months. The president applied a 25% “reciprocal” tariff on Indian items, adopted by an further 25% penalty tied to India’s continued purchases of Russian oil, stunning Indian counterparties and bringing whole duties to 50%.

India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal is scheduled to go to Washington on Monday for commerce talks, highlighting ongoing efforts to reset the relationship between the two nations. The timing of the H-1B announcement just days before these essential negotiations provides another layer of complexity to the diplomatic discussions.

In its assertion, India’s international ministry emphasised the mutual advantages of expert expertise mobility between the two nations. “Skilled talent mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in the United States and India,” the ministry said. “Policy makers will therefore assess recent steps taking into account mutual benefits, which include strong people-to-people ties between the two countries.”

The ministry also famous that Indian industry has begun analyzing the full implications of the coverage adjustments and is anticipated to work with U.S. counterparts on discovering options. India’s National Association of Software and Service Companies warned the abrupt implementation timeline may have “ripple effects on America’s innovation ecosystem and the wider job economy.”

For Indian IT companies firms, the financial influence might be substantial. According to the Times of India, corporations like TCS, Infosys, HCL Technologies, and Wipro may see their working income decreased by 7%-15% due to the new charges.

The proclamation is set to stay in impact for 12 months unless prolonged, and legal challenges are anticipated. The coverage also directs the Department of Labor to raise wage necessities for H-1B employees and indicators further reforms to prioritize higher-paid, higher-skilled purposes in the visa lottery system.

For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the data before publishing.

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