The Indian government has said a new $100,000 (£74,000) fee for applicants seeking US skilled worker visas will have “humanitarian consequences”.
President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the new fee for H-1B visa applications, which is more than 60 times the amount currently charged, to go into effect on 21 September.
Workers from India receive by far the most skilled visas in the programme, at just more than 70% of those issued.
Some US tech companies reportedly advised employees with H-1B visas to stay in the US or, if they were out of the country, to try to return immediately.
The White House then, on Saturday, clarified that the fee will not apply to current visas or renewal applications.
A statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said the fee would have humanitarian consequences “by way of the disruption caused for families”.
The Indian government “hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities”, it also said.
The exchange of skilled workers has “contributed enormously” to both nations, the statement said, adding: “Policy makers will therefore assess recent steps taking into account mutual benefits, which include strong people-to-people ties between the two countries.”
The statement did not provide specifics on any potential response from India’s government.
Since Trump imposed punishing tariffs on India last month for purchasing Russian oil, the two countries have been locked in tense trade negotiations. The US exported $41.5bn worth of goods to India in 2024, and imported more than double that, $87.3 bn, according to the US Trade Representative’s office.
On Saturday, the Indian government said its commerce minister Piyush Goyal would visit the US on Monday for trade talks, according to Reuters.
Making such a major change to the H-1B programme in such a narrow window created “considerable uncertainty for businesses, professionals, and students across the world”, India’s leading trade body Nasscom said.
In announcing the planned change, the White House said the visas were not being used as intended, citing data it said suggests some visas are being “abused” to undercut American wages and outsource IT jobs.
But the order allows for “case-by-case exemptions if in the national interest”, the White House said.
The skilled visa route is intended to allow companies in the US to temporarily employ foreign workers with “highly specialised knowledge”.
Just under 400,000 H-1B visas were approved in 2024, of which around 260,000 were renewals, according to the US-based Pew Research Centre.
Data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows that in the first half of 2025, Amazon received the most H-1B visa approvals, with 10,044.
In second was Indian technology company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), with 5,505.
Trump’s proclamation applies to applications submitted for workers currently outside the US, which must be “accompanied or supplemented by a payment of $100,000” (about 8.8mn Indian Rupees).
Currently, the administrative fees for an application total $1,500.
Amazon, Microsoft and JP Morgan were among the companies to advise employees with H-1B visas to remain in the US, and for those outside of the US to try and return before the deadline, according to Reuters.
The advisories appeared to be precautionary, given that the order did not say H-1B visa holders would be barred from re-entering the country or charged the new fee if they were temporarily out of the country after Sunday.
According to an internal advisory, seen by Business Insider, Amazon said employees unable to return to the US before the order takes effect should avoid attempting US re-entry “until further guidance is provided”.
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