U.S. President Donald Trump within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, D.C., U.S., on August 17, 2026.
| Picture Credit score: Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday (August 24, 2026) launched a proposed regulation to codify an unprecedented fee of more than $100,000 on new H-1B visas for extremely expert international staff.
The charge, first quickly imposed by Mr. Trump in 2025, dramatically raises the price of visas which can be closely relied on within the tech, schooling and analysis sectors, spelling unhealthy information for Indian techies and college students who aspire to work/research within the U.S.
What’s H1-B visa programme?
The H-1B programme permits U.S. employers to rent international staff with coaching in specialty fields. It affords 65,000 visas yearly, with one other 20,000 visas for staff with superior levels, permitted for 3 to 6 years.
Mr. Trump, a Republican, and different critics of the H-1B program say it’s abused by many corporations who exchange American staff with cheaper international labor. However enterprise teams and lots of particular person corporations have mentioned the visa program is required to handle an absence of certified American staff for some jobs and to permit U.S. companies to recruit high expertise.
A U.S. flag and U.S. H-1B Visa software kinds are seen on this illustration taken, September 22, 2025.
| Picture Credit score:
Reuters
About 70 employers had paid the $100,000 charge on a complete of 85 visa purposes as of late February, in line with court docket filings, the Reuters reported
How will H1-B visa charge hike impression Indians
These visas sometimes got here with charges between $2,000 and $5,000 earlier than the U.S. President’s order. The proposed rule by the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety, posted within the Federal Register on August 24, would make a charge of $103,265 everlasting. It could possibly be finalised by the top of the yr.
Indians account for the largest share of H-1B visa holders, making up 71% of all beneficiaries in FY2024. This transfer will considerably impression Indian know-how staff who’re employed by tech corporations and others on H-1B visas.
The Hindu had earlier reported {that a} $100,000 surcharge would, in a majority of circumstances match and even exceed the yearly salaries earned by Indian H-1B staff. Since Indian professionals sometimes report decrease median wages than their friends from different international locations, they’re more likely to be hit the toughest, each in absolute numbers and as a share of whole staff.
Who’re exempted from charge hike
However the charge wouldn’t apply to visas granted to international residents already in america on pupil visas, who make up a big share of latest H-1B recipients, or to renewals of present visas.
Payment hike faces authorized challenges
The charge hike is being challenged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the most important U.S. enterprise lobbying group, Democratic-led states and a coalition of unions and employers. These lawsuits could possibly be amended to problem the rule proposed this week as soon as it’s finalized.
A federal decide in June 2026 dominated that the fee was unlawful and blocked the Trump administration from amassing it, a lot to the relief of Indian diaspora. A Boston-based appeals court docket is reviewing that call whereas a special court docket considers whether or not a decide correctly rejected a problem to the charge by a serious enterprise group.
Amid Mr. Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, employers final yr registered for about 344,000 H-1B visas, down greater than 25% from 2024 and fewer than half of the 794,000 visas sought in 2023, in line with knowledge, opens new tab from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies.
The Trump administration has additionally ordered enhanced vetting of H-1B candidates and proposed a brand new visa choice course of that might favor higher-skilled and better-paid staff. Earlier in August, the Division of Homeland Safety in a separate rule added charges of as much as $4,500, opens new tab to purposes to increase the keep of H-1B staff or to switch staff based mostly in different international locations to america.
The U.S. administration transfer is aimed toward defending American staff whereas making certain that corporations have a pathway to rent “really extraordinary folks” and produce them to america.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Revealed – August 25, 2026 12:41 pm IST
