New US H-1B visa fee could disrupt Indian IT operations, says industry body

By Haripriya Suresh

NEW DELHI, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Imposing a new $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications could disrupt the global operations of Indian technology services companies that deploy skilled professionals to the United States, India’s IT industry body Nasscom said on Saturday.

The White House announced the new fee on Friday, prompting some major U.S. tech firms to advise visa holders to either remain in the country or return there quickly. The new fee marks Washington’s most high-profile attempt to overhaul the country's temporary employment visa system.

Nasscom, representing India’s $283 billion IT and business process outsourcing industry, said the abrupt rollout of the policy would impact Indian nationals and disrupt continuity of ongoing onshore projects for the country’s technology services firms.

The industry body said the one-day deadline for the new policy created "considerable uncertainty for businesses, professionals, and students across the world."

It also said the new policy could have "ripple effects" on the U.S. innovation ecosystem and on global job markets, pointing out that for companies, "additional cost will require adjustments".

Microsoft MSFT.O, JPMorgan JPM.N and Amazon AMZN.O responded to the announcement by advising employees holding H-1B visas to remain in the United States, according to internal emails reviewed by Reuters.

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has launched a broad crackdown on immigration, including efforts to limit certain forms of legal immigration.