America’s new restrictions on the H‑1B visa, including a proposed $1,00,000 fee for new applicants, may become a subject of negotiation once a trade agreement is finalised between India and the United
States, former US Ambassador to India Tim Roemer has suggested.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Roemer described the visa changes as complicating relations between the two countries, but expressed hope that once trade talks make progress, the H‑1B issue will be revisited.
Amid a broader immigration crackdown, President Donald Trump’s revamp of the H-1B visa programme is poised to impact Indian tech firms and skilled workers significantly. In addition to the existing 50 per cent tariff, the $1,00,000 visa fee could not only discourage Indian students pursuing the American dream but also strain India-US relations. For now, however, India has said it is evaluating the potential impact of the proposed changes.
Roemer, when asked if the visa fee could be a negotiating point, said he thought Trump’s imposition of the 25 per cent additional tariff on India, as “penalty” for purchasing Russian oil, “was a negotiating point to get people back to the table, to get the negotiations back on track, to try to make progress on a trade deal”, the NDTV report said.
The former ambassador pointed out that India has already entered into similar trade deals with countries like the UK, Israel, and Australia, and he feels that the US, with its interests in technology, manufacturing, and clean energy, has ample incentive to reconsider visa policy.
Roemer also said if the trade negotiations were unable to iron out the issues, other avenues might be used. For instance, the US courts could rule that the government exceeded its authority, or Congress might reassert its power over immigration policy and say “we are the ones that set the number of H-1B visas… We want to take back our power, and we are going to have something to say about US-India relations”.
The ex-envoy also emphasised that allowing Indian nationals with PhDs or high skill sets to obtain H‑1B visas is beneficial for the US too as they often spawn jobs, launch successful businesses (“unicorns”), and help build stronger ties between the two countries. He also cited a 15-year-old study by Duke and the University of California that said almost 25 per cent of new jobs in technology are created by these students, who become CEOs.
India, while expressing concern over the visa fee, had warned that the move could have humanitarian consequences by disrupting families.
“Skilled talent mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in the United States and India,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. “This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families. Government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities,” it added.
As panic set in after Trump’s move, the White House issued a clarification on its policy, saying the fee will be a “one-time” payment for new applicants only, and not an annual fee. It will only be imposed on new applicants and not impact renewals as well as existing visa holders.
“To be clear: 1.) This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition. 2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter. H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation. 3.) This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders. It will first apply in the next upcoming lottery cycle,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
