How H-1B Visa Fee Hike Is Disrupting NRI Marriage Market In Hyderabad

Many Indian families and professionals on H-1B visas who had planned to travel to India for weddings have abruptly cancelled trips, sometimes at the last minute. Initial confusion and fear of being stranded,

or being subject to the hefty fee, forced some to even call off their own weddings.NRI wedding and event spending typically boosts luxury venues, hotels, designers, jewelry, and gift sectors.For NRIs in the US, the combined impact of Trump's tariffs and the H-1B fee hike has caused wedding budgets to inflate by up to 40%, forcing families to trim guest lists, delay festivities, or substitute previously imported décor with local options."We as wedding planners, we do 20+ NRI weddings in a year and we also had seven NRIs wedding in the upcoming season which would gross more than Rs 8-10 crore including planning, decor, catering and venues. Due to initial confusion and uncertainty in understanding the rule... couple of our clients have kept the project on hold as of now, which again is a huge revenue loss for the market," said one wedding planner.The total wedding market in India is estimated at Rs 10.79 lakh crore (USD 130 billion) annually. Despite billions of dollars flowing through this largely unorganised and unmonitored sector, it has yet to gain official "industry" status.NRI weddings form a significant premium segment, accounting for 9% of weddings over ₹1 crore, many of them NRI-related. If NRI weddings shrink by 20-30% in the near term due to cancellations and downsizing, the industry could face revenue losses of around Rs 10,000-20,000 crore (USD 1.2–2.4 billion) over the remainder of 2025, primarily affecting the October-December peak wedding season.Current chatter among NRIs in the US reflects anxiety and confusion. Groups are actively sharing urgent travel advisories, legal clarifications, and discussing alternatives such as postponing events or holding smaller ceremonies in the US instead of India.Vanaja Rao of Quick Marriages said, "After Trump came into power, undoubtedly there is a reduction in demand for NRI grooms. Brides' parents are preferring local alliances over NRI ones. If at all NRI, they are okay with groom residing in any country other than USA. Preference in Australia, Canada, Singapore and Middle east."Jonnalagadda Jyothi of Jyothi Matrimony added, "There is a reduced interest in foreign alliances from the past 8-9 years. After Covid, preference is being given to local matrimonial alliances. After Trump, it has peaked. I have also seen this during Trump's first term. Now in Trump's second term, this has reached pinnacle."