Bipartisan US lawmakers urge President Trump to rescind the $100,000 H-1B Visa fee, warning it will hurt U.S. AI leadership and strain strategic ties with India.
H-1B Visa Hike May Impact Startups, AI Research, and Innovation
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers urged President Donald Trump to withdraw his September 19 presidential proclamation that imposes a new $100,000 fee on certain H-1B visa petitions, warning the measure risks damaging American technology leadership and the strategic partnership with India. The letter — signed by Representatives Jimmy Panetta, Ami Bera, Salud Carbajal and Julie Johnson — stressed that the H-1B programme is central to U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence and advanced technology sectors.
Lawmakers argued the fee would disproportionately affect startups, research institutions and small-to-medium enterprises that rely on global talent, narrowing access to essential skills and concentrating entry to only the largest corporations that can afford the charge. The letter highlights that Indian nationals accounted for a large share of recent H-1B recipients, and cautioned that the policy could chill collaboration and talent exchange between the United States and India — a key partner in the Indo-Pacific. These concerns are likely to drive search interest in terms such as “H-1B $100K fee impact startups” and “how H-1B fee affects India-US tech ties”.
The proclamation, titled Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, took effect in late September and requires a significant payment to accompany certain new H-1B petitions filed for consular processing, though the White House and USCIS clarified aspects of who is affected and how the rule applies to existing visa holders. These developments create strong long-tail SEO opportunities such as “which H-1B petitions face $100K fee” and “H-1B lawsuits 2025 injunction status”.
