India warns new US visa fee will have humanitarian consequences

The Indian government on Sunday dismissed a new $100,000 fee for U.S. H-1B skilled-worker visa applications filed from outside the United States as likely to cause humanitarian consequences by disrupting families. The announcement came as President Donald Trump ordered the fee to take effect on Sept. 21, a move that would hit applicants abroad and accompany a broader push to curb perceived abuses of the program. The White House later clarified that the new charge would not apply to current visas or renewal applications, but would apply to new filings from workers outside the United States.

India has long been the source of the largest share of H-1B approvals, with workers from India accounting for just over 70% of the visas issued in recent years. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the higher fee would disrupt thousands of families and have humanitarian consequences, adding that policy makers in both countries should consider the mutual benefits of strong people-to-people ties. The ministry did not outline any immediate response but signaled a desire to address the issue through talks with U.S. authorities.

The White House has argued that the H-1B program has not been used as intended, citing data it says shows some visas are used to undercut American wages and outsource IT jobs. It stressed that the measure allows for case-by-case exemptions if the action is in the national interest. Pulled context from recent years shows that the H-1B program remains a volatile political flashpoint, with roughly 400,000 H-1B visas approved in 2024 and about 260,000 of those being renewals, according to Pew Research Center data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

In the first half of 2025, U.S. companies continued to dominate approvals: Amazon led with 10,044 H-1B approvals, followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with 5,505, underscoring the reliance of major technology firms on skilled workers from abroad. The White House noted that the value of the current administrative fees for an H-1B application remains $1,500, but the new rule would layer a $100,000 payment on top for applicants outside the U.S. that are not accompanied by or supplemented with the standard filing.

India’s response has framed the issue as a test of bilateral trust. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said he would visit the United States on Monday for trade talks, aiming to address tariff and market-access tensions that have flared since New Delhi imposed retaliation measures earlier this year over Russia-related oil purchases. The Indian government described the current moment as an opportunity to recalibrate the deep, mutually beneficial trade relationship that has evolved over decades, characterized by robust people-to-people ties and business cooperation.

The reaction from industry groups in India has been wary. Nasscom, the country’s leading tech association, said a rapid, unilateral change to the H-1B program would cause considerable uncertainty for businesses, professionals, and students alike, potentially chilling cross-border collaboration at a time when the U.S. remains a key destination for Indian tech workers. Tech giants with significant U.S. operations were also watching closely: Reuters reported that companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and JPMorgan Chase advised employees with H-1B visas to remain in the United States, or to return promptly if they were outside the country, ahead of the policy taking effect. An internal Amazon advisory circulated to staff described the need to avoid re-entry until further guidance was issued, illustrating the practical disruptions that policy changes can create for global tech workforces.

The broader context includes lingering tensions from earlier in the year when Washington and New Delhi sparred over trade measures and what New Delhi called protectionist moves. The United States exported about $41.5 billion in goods to India in 2024 and imported roughly $87.3 billion, underscoring the scale of the bilateral economic relationship. Officials in both capitals have signaled a willingness to pursue dialogue, with India’s commerce minister set to meet U.S. counterparts to explore shared interests while addressing markets, tariffs and labor mobility. The government’s statement on the visa issue stressed the importance of mutual benefits and the enduring value of people-to-people ties as policymakers weigh how to balance domestic workforce protections with the benefits of global mobility.