New Delhi: The Trump administration is considering a major increase in the cost of H-1B visas, which could have a significant impact on Indian professionals
looking to work in the United States.
The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed increasing the H-1B visa fee to $103,265, according to a notice posted in the Federal Register on Monday. The proposal comes after a previous $100,000 fee introduced by the administration was blocked by courts.
If approved, the proposed changes could make it considerably more expensive for companies to sponsor foreign workers. Students moving from American universities into jobs could also face higher costs under separate proposals targeting the F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme.
Why Indians could be hit hard
The proposed changes are particularly important for India because Indian nationals make up the largest share of H-1B beneficiaries. US Citizenship and Immigration Services approved 399,402 H-1B petitions in 2024, with Indian-born beneficiaries accounting for about 71 per cent of them.
Immigration services firm Fragomen said the proposals have already gone through the White House Office of Management and Budget. The firm said a proposed OPT fee rule was submitted to the OMB on August 20 while a proposal concerning fees on certain H-1B petitions was received and cleared review on August 19.
Fragomen also noted that the Department of Homeland Security could propose a $100,000 fee for OPT applications. However, the exact details remain confidential until the proposals are formally released.
H-1B workers could lose 60-day grace period
The visa fee proposal is not the only immigration change under consideration. Earlier this month, DHS proposed removing the existing 60-day grace period available to certain unemployed H-1B workers and their dependants.
Under the current system, eligible workers can generally remain in the US for up to 60 days after their employment ends while looking for another job or making arrangements. Removing that window could force affected workers to leave the country much sooner if their employment-based status ends.
The possible changes come at a time when millions of people of Indian origin live in the US. Recent estimates based on US Census data put the figure at more than 5.2 million. For Indian professionals, students and employers, the proposed measures could therefore make the already competitive US immigration route significantly more expensive and uncertain.
