US NOT ALONE TO TURN AWAY SKILLED INDIANS

The Donald Trump administration set the fee for new H-1B visa applications at $100,000 last week, employing the classic shock-and-awe approach.

- NANDITA VENKATESAN & MANJUL PAUL

A subsequent clarification that this would be a one-time fee and not ment brewing across several Western countries to which Indians have traditionally flocked for work and emigration. These countries have historically relied on nations such as India and China to fill their labour shortages and drive economic growth. However, there has been a shift in public sentiment in recent years, with demands to prioritize a country's own citizens over foreign workers.

SHUTTING THE DOOR

THE US's decision to hike the H-1B visa fee is likely to have ripple effects in the information technology (IT) sector, which relies on foreign workers in the US. While Trump had begun tightening the rules from the start of his second term, the steep hike came as a jolt.

But the US is not alone in doing so. Several other countries have also been adjusting to their immigration policies to disincentivise skilled foreign workers, while cracking down on illegal and low-skilled workers.

The UK and Sweden have raised the minimum salary for a work permit, restricting the pool to a small set of highly skilled workers. Canada and Australia, the other top destinations for Indians, also plan to issue fewer student and work permits to reduce migration.