H-1B Visa: 'Fee Hike Will Choke US Innovation, Turbocharge Ours,' Amitabh Kant Sees Trump Move As 'India's Gain'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "America's loss but India's gain," Former NITI Aayog CEO and ex-G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant commented as US President Donald Trump slapped a $100,000 fee for H1-B visa applications and notes that the move will redirect global brains to India's tech hubs like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Gurgaon.

After the Trump signed the executive order regarding the changes in H1-B visa policy, Kant posted on X, "Donald Trump's 100,000 H-1B fee will choke U.S. innovation, and turbocharge India's. By slamming the door on global talent, America pushes the next wave of labs, patents, innovation and startups to Bangalore and Hyderabad, Pune and Gurgaon. India's finest Doctors, engineers, scientists, innovators have an opportunity to contribute to India's growth & progress towards Viksit Bharat. America's loss will be India's gain"

Also Read | Trump's revised H-1B visa fees amount to 10% of the profits of 5 Indian IT firms

In a similar note, Kunal Bahl , former CEO of Snapdeal and entrepreneur, said that due to the new regulations, a large number of skilled professionals are expected to return to India.

"Because of the new H1B rules, a tremendous number of talented individuals are going to be headed back to India. It will no doubt be tough in the beginning to move base, but will work out for them given the tremendous opportunities in India. The talent density in India is going up," Bhal said in a post on X.

What did the proclaimation say?

This increase in HIB Visa Fees could hit the tech arbitrage model where Indian software engineers and other talent works onsite in the United States but could see a rise in Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India.

Set to take effect on September 21, the proclamation represents one of the Trump administration's most aggressive efforts yet to overhaul the H-1B visa programme. Framed as a crackdown on "systemic abuse", it places strict financial and compliance burdens on companies seeking to hire skilled foreign workers, especially in the technology and IT sectors.

Also Read | Trump to impose $100,000 fee for H-1B visas: Top FAQ answered

The administration insists the intent is to restore integrity to a programme originally designed to bring in "top-tier global talent" on a temporary basis. Instead, it argues, the H-1B system has been hijacked by outsourcing firms to displace American workers, depress wages, and even create national security risks.

Data cited in the proclamation backs these claims; the number of foreign workers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, while total STEM job growth lagged. In the computer and math sector alone, the foreign workforce jumped from 17.7 per cent in 2000 to over 26 per cent by 2019, a rise the administration blames primarily on the H-1B system.

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