The steep jump in the visa fee from a range of US$2,000 to US$5,000 is expected to curb the flow of India’s tech manpower to the US
On Friday, Washington announced that the H-1B fee would be raised to US$100,000, from a range of US$2,000 to US$5,000 previously, based on the manpower strength of the company applying for the visa.
The H-1B is a three-year renewable work visa programme that economists say has helped American companies stay competitive and grow their business.
Workers from India have consistently accounted for the majority of approved H-1B applications in recent years, many of whom were skilled engineers.
India accounted for 71 per cent of approved H-1B applications last year, compared with second-placed China at 11.7 per cent, according to US government data.
