US H‑1B Fee Hike Threatens Indian IT Professionals and Students, Warns Pawan Khera

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera took to X on Saturday to vent his frustration over the United States’ decision to keep the $100,000 H‑1B visa fee in place for another year. In his post, Khera warned that the move is likely to hit Indian IT professionals, fresh graduates and the whole talent pipeline that has long fed the U.S. tech market.

He pointed out that the extra cost makes the already‑tough transition from an F‑1 student visa to an H‑1B work visa far more daunting for Indian youngsters. “Harder for Indian students to enter the U.S. workforce,” he wrote, highlighting a problem that could see fewer bright minds landing in Silicon Valley or other tech hubs.

Small and midsize companies, which traditionally rely on H‑1B sponsorships to bring in specialised talent, might think twice before filing petitions. “Fewer jobs: Smaller firms may avoid sponsorships altogether,” Khera added, noting that the fee could push these firms to look for local hires instead.

Perhaps the most alarming consequence, according to Khera, is a potential talent drain. With the cost barrier higher, many skilled Indian workers could start eyeing alternatives such as Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia, where immigration pathways appear friendlier and cheaper.

That shift would not just be a loss of expertise; it could also dent India’s remittance inflows over time. “Remittance risk: Lower migration could mean lower remittances to India,” he warned, reminding readers that billions of dollars flow back to India each year from its diaspora.

Khera didn’t stop at the visa fee. He also criticised the Indian government’s diplomatic posture, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of bending over backwards to appease former President Donald Trump, only to leave India “humiliated and hit” by the policy.

On the U.S. side, the Trump administration has rolled out an Executive Order and a Proclamation aimed at tightening oversight of the H‑1B programme. The order instructs the Departments of State, Labor and Homeland Security to factor in any recent or planned layoffs of U.S. workers when assessing H‑1B petitions. It also calls for inter‑agency consultations with Commerce, Education and the Small Business Administration to gather data on wages and industry conditions.

The accompanying proclamation renewed the $100,000 fee for selected H‑1B petitions – a charge first introduced in September 2025. According to a White House fact sheet, the fee and stricter scrutiny have already slashed H‑1B registrations from the biggest IT outsourcing firms by roughly 92 percent, and trimmed consular processing requests by about 97 percent.

The administration argues that these steps are needed to curb what it calls abuses that depress wages for American workers. It claims some employers have laid off highly‑skilled U.S. staff only to replace them with cheaper, lower‑paid H‑1B holders, and that certain outsourcing models eventually shift jobs out of the country.

While the White House points to recent tax and workforce measures that, it says, boosted real wages and household income, critics like Khera see a different picture – one where India’s bright tech talent is forced to look elsewhere, and where the cost of opportunity grows for both sides of the Pacific.