The US has replaced random H-1B selection with a wage-weighted lottery and a new $100,000 fee for applications, raising uncertainty for students and junior hires, experts say
Indian ITeS should have moved away from the H-1B lottery
The United States has scrapped the H-1B visa lottery and replaced it with a skill- and wage-based selection system.
US District Judge Beryl Howell said in a ruling Tuesday that President Donald Trump's move to radically increase the cost of the popular visa is lawful
India's USD 280-billion IT industry heads into 2026, balancing visa-related headwinds and global trade uncertainty against its biggest-ever push into artificial intelligence and the rapid expansion of global capability centres (GCCs). Heightened scrutiny of the US H-1B visa programme - including a proposed USD 100,000 fee for new visas and concerns over a potential 25 per cent outsourcing tax - has complicated cross-border delivery for Indian firms, even as companies accelerate efforts to reduce reliance on onsite staffing. The US remains the sector's largest export market. The visa proposals triggered market volatility in late 2025, disrupting travel plans and denting IT stocks, before partial clarifications offered limited relief. Fresh concerns have since emerged around social media screening and unpredictable processing delays. Analysts warn that sharply higher visa costs could add hundreds of millions of dollars to expenses for large IT firms, reinforcing the shift toward ...
Some US embassies and consulates face visa appointment delays of up to 12 months, the memo said, warning that international travel will 'risk an extended stay outside the US'
States argue that the $100,000 H-1B fee exceeds presidential authority, could disrupt tech, healthcare, and education, and adds a costly barrier for employers hiring skilled foreign workers
The Trump administration has tightened checks on H-1B visa applicants once again. This time, even your LinkedIn activity and content moderation history could determine your eligibility. Here’s what’s
Nasscom President Rajesh Nambiar says recent US H-1B visa changes will have little effect on large Indian IT firms, as companies have already boosted local hiring and are preparing for new rules
Speaking on Nikhil Kamath's podcast, Elon Musk said that while the H-1B visa programme has supported innovation in the US, certain companies have taken advantage of it
Recently, Trump has defended the H-1B visa programme, stating he "loves his conservative friends and MAGA" but believes the United States needs skilled foreign workers
Chinese student numbers in the US have dropped again as tougher visa rules, stricter checks and growing security concerns push more students to look for study options
An American lawmaker will be introducing a bill to completely eliminate the H-1B visa programme and take away the pathway to citizenship that it offers, forcing individuals to "return home when their visa expires. My dear fellow Americans, I'm introducing a bill to completely eliminate the H-1B visa programme, which has been riddled with fraud and abuse and has been displacing American workers for decades, Congresswoman from Gerogia, Marjorie Taylor Greene said in a video posted on X on Thursday. She said that there will only be one exemption in her bill, which will allow for a 10,000 per year cap on visas issued to medical professionals like doctors and nurses who provide life-saving care to Americans. Greene however noted that even this 10,000 per year cap will be phased out over 10 years to allow us time to build our own pipeline of American doctors and physicians. Greene added that her bill will also take away the pathway to citizenship, forcing visa holders to return home when
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The fee hike for the US H-1B visa by the Donald Trump administration has no short-term impact on Tata Technologies Ltd, although it will change resourcing plans for the future, according to its CEO and Managing Director, Warren Harris. The global product engineering and digital services firm, by virtue of its staffing architecture, which has about 70 per cent of its employees in any country coming from that nationality, is less exposed to visa issues than other "Indian competitors that are India out", Harris told PTI. "We are not an India-out company. We were very much a global company, with the majority of our employees in different territories who were nationals of those countries. We have Americans running our US operation. We have the Chinese team running our China operation, unlike many of our Indian competitors that are India-out. They are much more exposed to visas," he said. Harris was responding to a query on the implications of the hike in the annual H-1B visa fees to USD
Pune, India-based Tata Technologies does not disclose country-specific revenue or employee count, but North America accounted for roughly a fifth of its ₹5,168 crore revenue in 2024-25
Walmart has paused hiring workers needing H-1B visas after the Trump administration introduced a $100,000 fee, creating uncertainty for employers and foreign employees
America’s largest business lobby has taken on President Donald Trump’s administration, calling his new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas “unlawful” and harmful to US businesses.
The lawsuit follows Trump's $100,000 fee hike for new H-1B applicants, which the White House defended as a move to protect American jobs from cheaper foreign labour
Higher education leaders and public-school superintendents say they depend on skilled foreign workers to fill critical roles