H-1B Visa LIVE: Tech giants urge H-1B holders to stay in U.S.; Nasscom says India’s tech companies to be impacted

After the U.S. imposed a $100,000 yearly interest for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, the Congress connected Saturday deed retired astatine Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of being a “weak PM” whose penchant for “strategic silence” and “loud optics” has go a liability for India. 

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge besides said that overseas argumentation is astir safeguarding India’s nationalist interests and keeping “India First” and not holding “events”. 

Highlighting reports that H-1B Visa hike would deed Indians hardest, Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said successful a station connected X, “I repeat, India has a anemic PM.” Noting that Indian nationalist interests are supreme, Congress main Kharge took a swipe astatine the PM, saying, “Bear hugs, hollow slogans, concerts and getting radical to chant ‘Modi, Modi’ is not overseas policy!”. 

“Foreign argumentation is astir safeguarding our nationalist interests; keeping India First, and steering friendships with contented and balance. It cannot beryllium reduced to superficial bravado that risks undermining our semipermanent standing,” Mr. Kharge said successful a station connected X. 

The Congress main said, “Narendra Modi ji, Indians are pained by the instrumentality gifts you person received aft the day call. 

“Birthday Return Gifts from your ‘Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar’ Government! — $100,000 yearly interest connected H-1B visas hits Indian tech workers the hardest, 70% of H-1B visa holders are Indians and 50% tariff already imposed, a nonaccomplishment of Rs 2.17 Lakh crore to India is already estimated successful 10 sectors alone,” Mr. Kharge said. -- PTI

South Korea’s overseas ministry said connected Saturday (September 20, 2025) it volition measure the interaction of the U.S. H-1B visa idiosyncratic changes connected South Korean companies and nonrecreational workers seeking to participate the United States and with the U.S. broadside arsenic needed. 

The Trump medication said connected Friday it would inquire companies to wage $100,000 per twelvemonth for H-1B idiosyncratic visas, prompting immoderate large tech companies to pass visa holders to enactment successful the U.S. oregon instrumentality rapidly if they were retired of the country. -- Reuters

In a important development, IT elephantine Cognizant has issued a company-wide advisory, urging each employees connected H-1B visas to halt planetary travel. The directive, effectual immediately, and reviewed by The Hindu, instructs associates with valid H-1B visa stamps oregon petition approvals to refrain from departing oregon seeking introduction into the U.S.

The determination comes successful effect to a caller Presidential Executive Order issued precocious connected Friday (September 19) which is slated to instrumentality effect connected Sunday (September 21). 

Cognizant stated the measurement is simply a precaution until the institution tin summation “further clarity” connected the order’s circumstantial implications for overseas workers, sources said.

Industry assemblage Nasscom connected Saturday (September 20, 2025) said the U.S.’ determination to rise H-1B visa exertion interest to $100,000 volition interaction India’s exertion services companies arsenic concern continuity volition beryllium disrupted for onshore projects that whitethorn necessitate “adjustments”.

The apex assemblage besides flagged concerns implicit September 21 timeline for implementation saying a one-day deadline creates sizeable uncertainty for businesses, professionals, and students crossed the world.

The U.S. determination volition interaction Indian nationals that are connected H-1B visas moving for planetary and Indian companies, it said successful a statement.

Piyush Kumar, determination director, South Asia, Canada and Latin America (LATAM), IDP Education:

“The caller announcement has understandably raised immoderate concerns from students and parents. However, it is inactive excessively aboriginal to gauge the semipermanent interaction connected Indian students wanting to survey successful the U.S. It is important to cognize that the students who are pursuing a U.S. acquisition astatine the infinitesimal volition look astatine H-1B pathways typically a fewer years down the line, portion this proclamation has been projected for adjacent 12 months lone arsenic of now. “The U.S. continues to beryllium 1 of the astir fashionable survey overseas destinations for Indian students, peculiarly successful STEM fields, with 4 retired of apical 10 universities successful the QS World University Rankings 2026. While students whitethorn besides research options specified arsenic Canada, Australia, the U.K., New Zealand, the U.S. is expected to clasp its presumption arsenic a preferred prime for Indian students seeking planetary vulnerability and world excellence.” 

On Trump’s caller connection astir a $1,00,000 H-1B visa fee, C.P. Gurnani, co-founder & vice chairman, AIonOS (joint task betwixt InterGlobe Enterprises & Assago Ventures) says:

“Over the past respective years, Indian IT firms person importantly reduced their reliance connected the H-1B visa, with filings dropping by implicit 50%. This displacement is simply a effect of our ongoing strategy to prosecute much locally, put successful automation, and heighten our planetary transportation models. While visa fees whitethorn change, the interaction connected our concern volition beryllium minimal, arsenic we’ve already adapted to this evolving landscape.”

Immigration attorneys and companies are cautioning H-1B visa holders against travelling extracurricular the U.S. amid President Donald Trump’s caller program to enforce a $1,00,000 interest connected the enactment visas, with galore asking employees to instrumentality instantly to America oregon hazard getting stranded. 

In a important improvement that volition person an interaction connected Indian professionals moving connected H-1B visas successful the U.S., Mr. Trump signed a proclamation connected Friday that restricts the introduction into the United States of non-immigrants moving successful a “speciality occupation” unless their H-1B petitions are accompanied oregon supplemented by a outgo of $1,00,000. This proclamation volition travel into effect from 12:01 a.m. September 21, 2025. 

Immigration attorneys and companies are sounding the alarm for H-1B visa holders oregon their household members presently extracurricular the U.S. for enactment oregon vacation, asking them to instrumentality to the U.S. earlier the proclamation kicks successful connected September 21, fundamentally telling those extracurricular the state to instrumentality wrong the adjacent 24 hours oregon hazard being stranded and denied introduction into the U.S. — PTI

United States President Donald Trump’s determination to rise yearly H-1B visa interest to $1,00,000 volition choke U.S. innovation and turbocharge India’s by pushing the adjacent question of labs, patents and startups to cities similar Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, erstwhile NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said connected Saturday (September 20, 2025).

“Donald Trump’s 100,000 H1-B interest volition choke U.S. innovation, and turbocharge India’s. By slamming the doorway connected planetary talent, America pushes the adjacent question of labs, patents, innovation and startups to Bangalore and Hyderabad, Pune and Gurgaon . India’s finest Doctors, engineers, scientists, innovators person an accidental to lend to India’s maturation & advancement towards #ViksitBharat. America’s nonaccomplishment volition beryllium India’s gain,” helium said successful a station connected X.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with implicit 5,000 approved H-1B visas successful 2025, aft Amazon, according to national data.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Amazon had 10,044 workers utilizing H-1B visas arsenic of June, 2025. Coming successful astatine the 2nd spot was TCS with 5,505 H-1B visas approved.

Other apical beneficiaries see Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951). — PTI

Former Infosys CFO and manufacture seasoned Mohandas Pai connected Saturday (September 20, 2025) said the U.S. determination to enforce a steep $1,00,000 yearly interest connected H-1B visa applicants volition dampen caller applications by companies and whitethorn accelerate offshoring successful coming months.

Dismissing the conception that companies usage H-1B visas to nonstop inexpensive labour to the U.S., Mr. Pai pointed retired that the mean wage paid by the apical 20 H-1B employers exceeds $1,00,000, and criticised what helium termed arsenic misplaced “rhetoric carrying on”. An IT manufacture adept who did not privation to beryllium named said that the caller approvals for Indian tech companies ranges from 8,000-12,000 each year. The interaction is not conscionable connected Indian companies but besides connected planetary tech giants similar Amazon, Google, Microsoft who relationship for important H-1B numbers to get “the champion talent” to the U.S. Fee of $1,00,000 is mode excessively high, the root said. — PTI

U.S. President Donald Trump said maltreatment of the H-1B programme is simply a nationalist information menace arsenic helium signed a proclamation restricting introduction of definite non-immigrant workers and imposing a staggering yearly $1,00,000 interest connected the visas utilized by companies to prosecute workers, including from India, to unrecorded and enactment successful the U.S. 

The Secretary of State shall besides contented guidance, arsenic indispensable and to the grade permitted by law, to forestall misuse of B visas by alien beneficiaries of approved H-1B petitions that person an employment commencement day opening anterior to October 1, 2026. 

It said the restrictions shall not use to immoderate idiosyncratic oregon those moving for a institution oregon successful an industry, if it is determined that the hiring of specified individuals to beryllium employed arsenic H-1B speciality concern workers is successful the nationalist involvement and does not airs a menace to the information oregon payment of the United States. — PTI

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U.S. lawmakers and assemblage leaders voiced interest implicit US President Donald Trump’s program to enforce a $1,00,000 interest connected H-1B visa applications, calling the determination “reckless” and “unfortunate” that volition person a “huge negative” interaction connected the IT industry.

Mr. Trump’s $1,00,000 H-1B visa interest is simply a “reckless effort to chopped America disconnected from high-skilled workers who person agelong strengthened our workforce, fuelled innovation, and helped physique industries that employment millions of Americans,” Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said. — PTI

The Trump medication said that the $1,00,000 interest is aimed astatine ensuring that the radical being brought into the state are “actually precise highly skilled” and bash not regenerate American workers.

The determination is aimed astatine protecting American workers portion ensuring that companies person a pathway to prosecute “truly bonzer people” and bring them to the United States. Companies wage to sponsor H-1B applicants.

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