H-1B Visa Fee Shake-Up: Impact on Tech Giants and Current Holders

The United States is set to implement a new $100,000 annual fee for new H-1B visa applicants starting Sunday. This fee, imposed by a recent executive order from President Donald Trump, is not applicable to current visa holders re-entering the U.S., a White House official announced on Saturday.

Industry experts, including Nasscom, the Indian IT industry body, warned that the fee could disrupt operations for Indian tech companies that rely on deploying skilled professionals to the U.S. Nonetheless, the White House assured that the fee will not impact existing visa holders returning to the country or those renewing their visas. Instead, this fee will be levied during the upcoming H-1B lottery cycle.

The announcement has sparked apprehension among employees of major U.S. companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet. Internal communications from these companies, reviewed by Reuters, suggest they are advising H-1B visa holders to stay in the U.S. Meanwhile, on Rednote, a popular Chinese social media platform, many H-1B holders narrated their hurried returns to the U.S. to avoid the hefty new fee.

(With inputs from agencies.)