Congress leader Pawan Khera criticised the US's extension of the USD 100,000 H-1B visa fee, warning it will harm Indian IT professionals, students, and the talent pipeline, and may cause a talent drain to countries like Canada and Australia.
Congress leader raises concerns over H-1B fee
The Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday raised concerns over the extension of the USD 100,000 H-1B visa fee imposed by the US administration, saying the move could affect Indian IT professionals, students and the country's talent pipeline.
In a post on X, Khera said the decision would make it harder for Indian students on F-1 visas to transition into the US workforce and could impact smaller companies that rely on H-1B sponsorships. Trump has extended the $100,000 H-1B visa fee for another 12 months - a move that will hit Indian IT, tech professionals and the student talent pipeline hard. The impact: ❌ F-1 → H-1B: Harder for Indian students to enter the U.S. workforce. ❌ Fewer jobs: Smaller firms may avoid sponsorships altogether. ❌ Talent drain: More professionals may look to the UK, Canada and Australia. ❌ Remittance risk: Lower migration could mean lower remittances to India over time. Modi bent over backwards to appease Trump. Trump got the appeasement. India took the humiliation and the hit. — Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 ಪವನ್ ಖೇರಾ (@Pawankhera) September 19, 2026 "The impact: F-1 → H-1B: Harder for Indian students to enter the U.S. workforce. Fewer jobs: Smaller firms may avoid sponsorships altogether. Talent drain: More professionals may look to the UK, Canada and Australia. Remittance risk: Lower migration could mean lower remittances to India over time," Khera said.
He further criticised the Centre's approach towards US President Donald Trump, alleging that India had faced consequences despite efforts to maintain ties with Washington. "Modi bent over backwards to appease Trump. Trump got the appeasement. India took the humiliation and the hit," Khera said.
Trump administration tightens visa oversight
Earlier, the Trump administration moved to tighten oversight of the H-1B visa programme, directing the US Departments of State, Labour and Homeland Security to scrutinise applications from employers with recent or planned layoffs of similarly situated US workers, while renewing a USD 100,000 fee requirement for certain H-1B visa petitions.
According to a White House fact sheet, US President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order and a Proclamation on Friday to strengthen programme integrity, improve interagency coordination, and address what the administration describes as abuses of the H-1B system.
The Executive Order directs the US Secretary of State, Secretary of Labour and Secretary of Homeland Security to consider an employer's recent or planned layoffs of similarly situated US workers when reviewing H-1B visa applications. The three departments have also been directed to consult with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Education, and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to gather additional information to administer the H-1B programme, including data on wages, industrial conditions, and employment specialisation, the fact sheet said.
White House justifies fee renewal
Separately, the Proclamation renews the USD 100,000 fee requirement for certain H-1B visa applications, which was first imposed on September 19, 2025. The White House said the measure is intended to curb practices that displace US workers and undermine national security.
The administration said the earlier proclamation had significantly reduced H-1B registrations by some of the largest IT outsourcing firms. "Since the 2025 Proclamation took effect, H-1B registrations filed by the largest IT outsourcing firms have been reduced by 92%," the White House fact sheet said.
The White House also cited changes in consular processing and the composition of H-1B workers following the 2025 measure, stating that it had resulted in a nearly 97 per cent decrease in consular processing requests and a shift from lower-paid foreign labour towards higher-skilled and higher-wage workers.
Calling for further changes to the programme, the administration said, "More work must be done to improve interagency coordination in the assessment of H-1B visa petitions."
Administration alleges abuses and harm to US workers
The fact sheet also argued that employers' use of lower-paid foreign labour can put downward pressure on wages for skilled American workers. "Abuse of the H-1B visa program decreases wages for skilled American workers because the availability of cheaper foreign labour places downward pressure on domestic pay," the White House said.
It further alleged that some employers had laid off highly qualified American workers before hiring H-1B workers. "Many employers have laid off large numbers of highly qualified, highly skilled American workers, only to promptly hire large numbers of H-1B workers who are often lower-skilled and lower-paid," the fact sheet said.
The administration also pointed to the outsourcing model used by certain H-1B sponsors, arguing that some jobs held by H-1B workers eventually move outside the United States.
The administration further pointed to tax and workforce measures enacted in July 2025, saying they delivered No Tax on Overtime and No Tax on Tips, safeguarded millions of American jobs and more than half a trillion dollars in wages, and established Workforce Pell Grants for Americans entering skilled trades. According to the fact sheet, real wages increased by USD 822 in 2025, while real household income reached its highest level in history.
The Trump administration said it is also pursuing H-1B visa fraud investigations and examining other practices it says illegally favour visa holders over American workers. The latest measures come as the White House seeks to increase scrutiny of the H-1B programme through tighter coordination among federal agencies, greater consideration of employer layoffs and continued use of higher fees for selected visa petitions. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)