In a transfer that has set off alarm bells amongst Indian professionals, United States President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing an annual price of $100,000 on H-1B visa purposes. Following the announcement, the Indian Embassy in Washington on Saturday launched an emergency help quantity for Indian nationals in want of rapid assist.
“Indian nationals in search of emergency help could name cell quantity +1-202-550-9931 (and WhatsApp). This quantity needs to be used solely by Indian nationals in search of rapid emergency help and never for routine consular queries,” the Embassy said in a submit on X.
The measure has raised critical issues concerning its implications on Indian tech professionals and the move of remittances, with practically 71 per cent of all H-1B visas being granted to Indian residents.
Add Zee Enterprise as a Most well-liked Supply
In search of to calm nerves, a senior official from the US administration clarified that the steep price would apply solely to recent H-1B visa petitions and to not current holders or these in search of renewals.
In an unique response to IANS, the White Home on Saturday stated that it’s a “one-time price” that applies solely to new visas and never renewals or present visa holders.
“This can be a one-time price that applies solely to the petition. It solely applies to new visas, not renewals or present visa holders. It is going to first apply within the upcoming lottery cycle,” a White Home official informed IANS.
In the meantime, the Indian authorities has instructed all its Missions and Posts to supply each attainable help to Indian nationals who’re scheduled to return to the USA within the subsequent 24 hours.
The Ministry of Exterior Affairs additionally took observe of the event, stating that it’s rigorously inspecting the far-reaching adjustments launched to the H-1B visa programme, notably the newly imposed annual price.
The ministry expressed concern that the transfer may prolong past monetary ramifications and set off humanitarian challenges for households.
“The Authorities has seen studies associated to the proposed restrictions on the US H-1B visa program. The complete implications of the measure are being studied by all involved, together with by Indian business, which has already put out an preliminary evaluation clarifying some perceptions associated to the H-1B program,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated.
The spokesperson additional cautioned that the step introduced by Trump is more likely to resonate past enterprise circles.
“The complete implications are being studied by all involved, together with the Indian business, and the measure is more likely to have humanitarian penalties by the use of the disruption precipitated for households,” he added.
