US President Donald Trump, in his latest efforts to crack down on immigration, signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 (over Rs 88 lakh) fee on H-1B visa applicants – a move that could potentially deal a significant blow to the technology sector, which relies heavily on skilled workers from India and China.
According to Trump, the move is aimed at ensuring that the people being brought into the country are “actually very highly skilled” and do not replace American workers. “We need workers. We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen,” he said.
White House staff secretary Will Scharf said the H1B non-immigrant visa program is one of the “most abused visa” systems in the country’s current immigration system. “What this proclamation will do is raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000. This will ensure that the people they’re bringing in are actually very highly skilled and that they’re not replaceable by American workers,” he said.
The H-1B visa is a temporary US work visa that allows companies to hire foreign professionals with specialised skills. It was created in 1990 for people with a bachelor’s degree or higher in fields where jobs are deemed hard to fill, especially science, technology, engineering, and math.
The visa is initially granted for three years, but can be extended to a maximum of six years. For those who received a Green Card (permanent residency), the visa can be renewed indefinitely. To apply, candidates register online with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), following which a lottery system randomly selects applicants. The Trump administration, however, is weighing further changes to the way applications are considered, reported Bloomberg.
Once granted, the visa ensures equal pay and comparable working conditions to those of their American counterparts.
However, with Trump’s new changes, the fees are likely to add to the problems faced by Indians while trying to get a US visa. While Indians could apply for a Green Card, the wait time is usually longer. During this time, they would need to renew their visas time to time, and each time pay over Rs 88 lakh.
Additionally, the US government is also introducing a more demanding test for citizenship applicants – which Trump had implemented during his 2020 presidency, but was scrapped by the Joe Biden administration. According to reports, applicants will be required to study a pool of 128 questions covering US history and politics, and correctly answer 12 out of 20 questions orally.
