India in talks with US over H-1B visa fee hike

NEW DELHI: India is engaged with the US and other stakeholders over the framing of rules for the Trump administration's move to levy a fee of $100,000 for H-1B visas, with the external affairs ministry saying on Friday that the mobility of skilled Indian talent contributes to innovation and economic growth in both countries.

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The new fee, announced by US President Donald Trump last week as part of measures to prevent the abuse of the H-1B visa programme that is perceived as a "national security threat" and to restrict the entry of non-immigrant workers, is expected to impact Indian nationals, who have accounted for almost threefourths of all H-1B visas issued in the past decade.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to a notification issued by the US department of homeland security regarding the proposed rulemaking for the changes to H-1B visa programme and noted that stakeholders, including the industry and others, had been given a month to provide their comments.

Clarifications and FAQs too were issued by the US following the unveiling of the new measures, such as the confirmation that the $100,000 fee would be levied only once for fresh H-1B visa applications.