The administration of Donald Trump approved a rate of U $ S100,000 for each new request for H-1B visaused by foreign workers With specialized skills. The measure generated a strong Impact on the technological sector of India and aroused concern between families and students who aspired to enter American universities.
After the announcement, the actions of the main Indian companies of IT services, such as Infosys, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and HCltech, They fell between 2% and 3%.
Faced with this, several signatures began to review their operational models. Among the alternatives, the greater impulse to remote work since India and direct hiring of local personnel in the USwith the aim of reducing the dependence on the transfer of workers and mitigating the financial impact of the new rate.
H-1B visas: what are they
H-1B visas allow highly qualified foreign professionals, such as scientists, engineers, programmers and technology specialists, Work in the US for an initial period of three years, extendable up to six.
Every year, the US government grants 85,000 H-1b visas through a lottery systemin which Indian applicants concentrate around 75% of quotas.
White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavittclarified that the rate It will not apply to those who already have an H-1B visa or the renovationsbut only to new requests submitted from next year. In addition, he remarked that it is a collection for once.
In this way, the Indian Association of the Nasscom Information Technology Industry expressed concern about the new measures and pointed out that the “Business continuity“In technology companies it will be disturbed.
In parallel, US companies that depend on this type of visas advised their foreign workers do not leave the country until the details of the new policy are defined, to avoid migratory complications.
The American dream in danger
The data of the department of US National Security They show that in 2024 there were 422,335 Indian students in the countrya 11.8% increase over the previous year. According to Financial Times, More than 70% of H-1b visas approved correspond to Indian citizens.
For many young people, this rate threatens to stop their academic and professional project. Sudhanva Kashyapa 21 -year -old aerospace engineering student, who aspired to enter the University of Stanford and then access to an H-1b in AFP dialogue said: “When the rate was lower You could still have hope. It was easier to convert the student visa into an H-1B. I’m very disappointed, my dream was ruined”
Something similar raised Shashwath vs.20 years old, a native of Bengaluru, who said he will now consider other destinations: “The rate is too high for a company to sponsor a foreigner. Going to the US was my priority, but not. I will explore options in Germany, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom. Indians contribute significantly to the US economy, either as students or as professionals, ”he concluded.
Source: Ambito
