Sept 20 (Reuters) – A new $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications takes effect Sunday, but it will not apply to existing visa holders re-entering the United States, the White House said on Saturday.
“This is a one-time fee,” a White House official clarified, adding that the charge will only affect new applicants in the upcoming H-1B lottery cycle. Current visa holders and renewals will be exempt.
The executive order, signed by President Donald Trump on Friday night, has raised alarm among U.S. companies and India’s IT services industry, which relies heavily on H-1B visas to deploy skilled professionals to the U.S.
Industry body Nasscom warned the measure could disrupt the global operations of Indian technology firms.
The announcement has already unsettled corporate America. According to internal emails reviewed by Reuters, companies including Microsoft (MSFT.O), Amazon (AMZN.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O) advised some H-1B employees to avoid international travel and remain in the U.S.
On Chinese social media platform Rednote, H-1B holders described cutting trips short and even rushing back to the U.S. within hours of landing abroad, fearing they would otherwise face the steep new fee.
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