Trump remains unconvinced by H-1B visa fee hike of $100,000; minister hints at change

News Topical, Digital Desk : US President Donald Trump increased the H-1B visa fee to $100,000. But now the Trump administration is preparing to change it again.

Regarding this, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that significant changes will be made to the H-1B visa process before the $100,000 fee is implemented in February 2026. He described the current visa process as flawed.

In fact, President Donald Trump recently increased the application fee for H-1B visas to 100,000. This announcement caused a stir among American tech companies, prompting visa holders to return to the United States immediately.

Following the confusion, the White House later clarified that existing visa holders would not be affected by this arrangement and could travel to and from the US without any fees.

Solution will be found by 2026

At the same time, during the announcement regarding this, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had said that all people, including renewal and first applicants, will have to pay a fee of Rs 100,000 for H-1B visa.

Regarding these changes, Lutnick said, "I think we'll see real changes in the future." He added that there are some questions about the lottery system, but they will all be resolved by February 2026.

Trump's decision increases pressure on American companies

It is noteworthy that US President Trump has recently increased the application fee for the new H-1B visa from the existing $2,000 to $5,000 to $1,00,000.

Trump's decision has increased pressure on American companies that rely on foreign workers. On Monday, US senators reintroduced a bill to reintroduce the H-1B and L-1 worker visa programs, citing challenges the visa restrictions pose to key workers.

Economists and industry experts say that Trump's H-1B visa policy will accelerate the transfer of important functions of American companies to India.

If visa restrictions remain unchanged, industry experts predict that US companies will shift high-level functions related to AI, product development, cybersecurity, and analytics to their GCCs in India. This will accelerate the growth of Global Capability Centers (GCCs) handling functions ranging from finance to research and development.

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